MIND could not function without the help of individual psychiatrists and a basic sympathy and understanding on our part for what psychiatry is trying to achieve.

The incoming editor Dr Norman Poole sets out a vision for his tenure at the helm of the BJPsych Bulletin. There will be redoubled focus on training and educational articles and an engagement with the cultural and social ramifications of this most vital of specialisms.

When I reached Seychelles to start my new job with the Ministry of Health as a consultant psychiatrist at the Victoria Hospital I had hardly any idea about the islands, let alone its mental health service. But I decided to take the job partly out of curiosity and an interest to see what psychiatry would be on a tourist island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Night-time confinement, currently imposed as a blanket restriction on all patients on wards in UK high secure hospitals, constitutes an arbitrary restriction of liberty, not being based on any therapeutic purpose for those so restricted, nor serving a need for the protection of others. Its imposition constitutes a form of ‘degrading’ treatment as well as an unjustified restriction of ‘residual’ liberty. Persons who are vulnerable, especially those who are involuntarily detained as in this case, are particularly at risk of suffering human rights abuses. A compelling case can be made, based on ethics, law and accepted practice standards, for ruling out night-time confinement as an acceptable measure.

Violence is an important consideration in the management of psychiatric patients. Probably one in ten psychiatric patients assault staff (DHSS, 1988), although this may be an underestimate (Lion et al, 1981). Fellow patients are assaulted less frequently (Nobel & Rodger, 1989). Several factors have been associated with violent behaviour in patients: suffering from schizophrenia, delusions, hallucinations (Noble & Rodger, 1989); being young, compulsorily detained and an increased use of temporary nursing staff (James et al, 1990).

Patients and their relatives sometimes make what to others appear to be unfortunate decisions. In this paper the ethical dilemmas raised by such decisions in the context of old age psychiatry are examined. The case also raises questions about financial responsibility for the care of the elderly and suggests that the health needs of patients can no longer be separated from their financial interests.

This paper draws the attention of psychiatrists to the developing field of neural networking in the belief that the models created in this discipline demonstrate several functions central to cerebral performance.

Trainees beginning their careers in psychiatry sometimes view research as an additional hurdle that they have to surmount in order to gain senior registrar or consultant status. Conversely, research enthusiasts may see research as an exciting and rewarding activity which enriches and informs clinical practice. The aim of this article is to strike a balance between these two divergent views to help trainees in their selection of the research option most suited to their temperament and aspirations. As a result of our own experiences of full-time and part-time research, in addition to research conducted during full-time clinical posts, we intend this article to be practically rather than theoretically orientated.

In this article we give an alternative view of service provision for adolescents with emotional difficulties centred around four high schools. We believe that the service we offer differs in a number of ways and has a number of benefits for clients and other pupils and staff at the schools. We present this view of our service with some information about its historical context and as a snapshot of the current state of the service in the expectation that there will be further developments.

The Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals Item Sheet system for registering clinical data generated by psychiatric assessments is long established, with a proven track record as an instrument of scientific research. However, its use has not spread beyond the originating institution, despite being available in the public domain for many years. To address this problem we have designed a modified version of the Item Sheet. The new system has been simplified and improved to facilitate the use of this research aid in child guidance clinics and similar settings.