The majority of HIV-infected inpatients are treated in departments of internal medicine. For the conditions of the west-german health service it was studied, if and how psychiatric symptoms of HIV-positive inpatients of a University Hospital for internal medicine require a psychiatrist. The evaluation of the suicide risk and psychopharmacological treatment of depressive syndromes were the most frequent reasons to ask for a psychiatrist. It became evident, that by means of a psychiatric consultation service, treatment of psychiatric complications in HIV-infection is feasible in a department of internal medicine.
