MÉDICOS E PSICÓLOGOS: QUANDO ENCAMINHAM PACIENTES UM PARA O OUTRO E COMO DEFINEM PSICOTERAPIA

Abstract

The present study had for objetives to investigate (1) what is the attitude of physicians when faced with patients that suffer from organic problems that have emotional components: (2) what is the atti[1]tude of psychologists when confronted with patients that have psychological problems with organic envolvement, and (3) what definition of psychotterapy would pshysicians and psychologists give. Subjects were 131 pshysicinas and 75 psychologist, of both sexes, who agreed to participe, voluntarily, in the project. Results indicated that (1) psychologists have a more positive attitude toward inter-consultation than physicians; (2) typically psychologists request psychiatre intervention in cases of cronic depression, and psychoses. They refer patients to medical colleagues in the cases of neurological, auditory, visual and speech disturbances; (3) only 51% of the psychologists request psychiatric help in cases of suicidial attempts, (4) only 39% of the physicians indicated psychotherapy for cases of hypertension, howere 84% of them said that they would preserve psychophomacological treatments for gastrointestinal; (5) psychotherapy was designated by physicians on the most important procedure in the case of hysteria, depression and drugoaddition. The also claimed that psychophomacological treatment was their first choice in the cases of schizophenia. As far as the definition of psychotherapy both types of professionals gave vague and imprecise definitions. It was conduced that much remains to be done out the Universities and Medical Schools to promete a better understans the advantagens of ans interdisciplinary work in the case of problems that have medical and psychological components.