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Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Liaison Service (PICLS)

PICLS provides timely psychiatric assessment and treatment to medically ill inpatients at the Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital.  The service sees in-hospital patients between the ages of 18-75 with concurrent medical and mental disorders, suicidal ideation, aggression, psychosis, delirium, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, competency issues and addictions.

Contact Us

Phone: 250.370.8024

Access Services

Physicians, nurses, and other health professionals can request a Psychiatric consult for an inpatient by calling 250.370.8024.  Consults will be triaged and seen based on urgency.  Turn around on a consult will be between 24-48 hours.

Hours Available

  • Monday to Friday 8:30-4:30 (except STAT holidays)
  • After hours contact the psychiatrist on call

Did You Know?

  • Virtually any systemic illness can cause psychiatric symptoms of one form or another. Treatments for medical disorders also may cause symptoms to arise.

  • 25-30% of primary care patients and 40-50% of hospitalized patients have psychiatric co morbidity.

  • Up to 5% of medical and surgical inpatients do not have medical or surgical problems (somatoform disorders).

  • Not addressing the psychiatric symptoms and syndromes when they present may increase morbidity and mortality.

  • Up to 14% of medical inpatients have severe addictive disorders. Problematic substance use can exceed 50% of medical inpatients.

  • Addiction and Mental Illness can affect any gender, class, age or ethnicity and interfere with medical treatment.

  • Severe addiction disorders usually respond well to specialized treatment, which patients are more likely to accept after meeting with a specialist.

  • Addiction frequently co-occurs with other psychiatric illnesses; diagnosing and treating both disorders results in better outcomes.

  • Mood, Anxiety and Substance abuse disorders are most prevalent in younger patients, and cognitive disorders in older patients (delirium, dementia).

  • Pre-existing psychiatric syndromes increase the likelihood of undiagnosed medical disorders (i.e. cancer, hypertension). 

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