The author describes in detail the activities of the psychosomatic section of the Psychiatric Society of the Czech Medical Society since its foundation in 1975 from the theoretical, organizational, research and teaching aspects. The aim of this section is above all to enforce the psychosomatic approach and bio-psychosocial model of disease in the Czechoslovak health services. The society developed its activities according to interdisciplinary principles. The perspectives of development of psychosomatic care in Czechoslovakia in the next future are in particular: 1. further enforcement of the psychosomatic approach to patients and the bio-psychosocial model of disease in clinical practice and theory; 2. development of so-called consultation-liaison psychiatry according to the concept of Z. J. Lipowski on the basis of nonpsychiatric disciplines and creation of further psychosomatic in- and out-patient units and departments, in particularly at the primary health care level; 3. further development of postgraduate and initiation of undergraduate teaching of psychosomatic and behavioural medicine; 4. development of research, in particular by the method of controlled clinical trials and prospective studies; 5. extension of possibilities to publish work and of international collaboration.

Katedra psychiatrie ILF Praha