Psychological Medicine Service

What we do

The Service in St. James’s Hospital was established in 2000. It provides psychological/psychiatric assessment and care to patients seen in the general hospital. The service is based in the general hospital and sees patients with complex medical and social problems, including depression, post traumatic stress disorder and deliberate self –harm. It provides a service to all areas of the hospital, including medical and surgical wards and the Emergency Department. The service provides multi-disciplinary care including psychiatric, clinical psychology and psychiatric nursing. Key skills include rapid assessment and ongoing psychological interventions that include cognitive behavioural and cognitive analytical psychotherapy. In addition to providing clinical care, the service is developing a role in staff education and training to develop skills of medical and surgical staff in the rapid assessment and management of psychological distress 

The St James’s Hospital Psycho-Oncology Service is part of the Hospital’s Psychological Medicine Service.  Psycho-oncology is a specialty in cancer care that deals with psychological aspects of cancer and its treatment.  Receiving a diagnosis of cancer and undergoing treatments are associated with significant psychological distress, ranging from “normal” levels of sadness and fear to disabling symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and body image problems.  With the support of family and friends the majority of people will ultimately cope well.  However, it is estimated that about a third of cancer patients will require help from mental health professionals.

Contact details

Postal Address: 
Psychological Medicine Service,
Old Admin Building,
St James’s Hospital,
Dublin 8

Tel:  (01) 410 3457
Fax:  (01) 410 3463

Psychological Medicine

Referral Procedure

Making Outpatient Referrals

• Outpatient referrals must be written referrals from the referring consultant or referring team. They should be addressed to Dr. Cooney, Consultant Psychiatrist for the general outpatient clinic and to Dr. O'Dwyer, Consultant Psychiatrist for the Psycho-oncology clinic.
• This should be sent to: Dr. O'Dwyer or Dr. Cooney, Psychological Medicine Service, Old Admin Building, St. James's Hospital.
• This letter should include the patients' details and a short reason for referral. If an outpatient referral is made over the phone a referral letter must follow.