Abstract:A one‐year survey was conducted on the psychiatric consultation work at Kyushu University Hospital. It was found that an organic brain syndrome was the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis of the referred patients. The most frequent purpose of request for psychiatric consultations was for the management of the patient. The main consultant functions were diagnoses and to advise on the management of the patient. The consultant functions agreed with the purposes of request in many cases, but discrepancies between the two were found about the patient disposition. The nature of the consultant role was compared with some American studies. It was deemed necessary that consultation‐liaison psychiatry based on Japan's present conditions, medical and social, should be develo