None.

The study compared two methods of identifying patients prescribed high doses of antipsychotic medication among in-patients and out-patients in Buckinghamshire. High doses were defined as those in excess of 1000 mg chlorpromazine equivalents (CPZE) per day or more than 100% of the maximum recommended dose in the British National Formulary (BNF).

A total of 258 patients were identified as being prescribed antipsychotics, 30 of whom received high doses. There was 93% concordance between the two methods for identifying these patients. Nine of the 12 patients who had been prescribed high potency (> 1000 mg CPZE/day) but low toxicity (> 100% BNF maximum) therapy were receiving flupenthixol decanoate.

A group of six high-risk patients were identified who had been prescribed lower potency drugs at supra-maximal doses.

Expressing total antipsychotic dose as a percentage of the BNF maximum is easy to understand and calculate. It helps to ensure patients at risk of antipsychotic toxicity are easily identified to ensure monitoring guidelines can be followed.

The study explored job-stress experienced by psychiatrists, its effect on their lives and the coping mechanisms used.

The response rate was 62%. The younger group reported higher stress levels and used more positive coping strategies than the older groups. Female doctors were more likely to report being stressed. Aspects of the job experienced as most stressful include on-call duties and dealing with difficult and hostile relatives.

Anxietyand depressive symptoms are reported frequently in psychiatrists. Strategies to deal with the identified causes need to be put in place.

A cross-sectional, interview survey of the beliefs, knowledge, attitudes and practice towards mental illness of 29 traditional healers in the Pallisa district of Uganda was carried out.

Many of the healers had experienced emotional problems that had been treated by other healers. Almost all had a family member who was also a traditional healer. They treated a wide range of conditions and all dealt with mental illness. Most believed that mental disorders were caused by supernatural processes. Many recognised the role of environmental agents. Their diagnosis and management of mental illness was eclectic. The healers were either traditional herbalists or spirit diviners or a mixture of both. Almost all referred patients to the district hospitals and were willing to work with government health services.

The results of the survey suggest the presence of fertile ground on which to build cooperation between traditional healers and medical services. Such cooperation may harness primary care resources more effectively. Sequential or simultaneous models of collaboration (or combinations of both) may be considered. Further work on specific treatments, their outcomes and the evaluation of collaborative models is needed.

In 1988, Lewis and Appleby demonstrated that psychiatrists hold negative attitudes towards patients with personality disorder. We assessed the attitudes of psychiatry trainees towards patients with borderline personality disorder and depression, expecting an improvement. 166 trainees were block randomised to receive one of four case vignettes that varied by diagnosis and ethnic group. We used Lewis and Appleby's original questionnaire and the Attitudes to Personality Disorder Questionnaire (APDQ).

We received 76 responses. Lewis and Appleby's questionnaire showed more negative attitudes towards personality disorder than depression, with no significant patient ethnic group effects, and the APDQ also showed a (weak) trend towards more negative attitudes to personality disorder. In subgroup analysis, only in the White British patient group were there significantly more negative attitudes to personality disorder. Factor analysis showed significantly less sense of purpose when working with personality disorder.

The perceived greater lack of purpose in working with personality disorder should be the target of clinical training and intervention. Targeted interventions that include training in managing personality disorder, supervision and practice in non-specialist, general psychiatry settings are important.

To explore the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of the effects of two anti-stigma films on medical students' attitudes to serious mental illness and psychiatry. Attitudes to serious mental illness, perceived dangerousness, social distance and psychiatry, were measured before and after watching the films and at 8 weeks.

Intervention films significantly improved general attitudes to serious mental illness and social distance, with a trend towards reducing perceived dangerousness. These effects appeared to attenuate during the students' clinical placements, suggesting a possible interaction with their clinical experiences.

Our results suggest both that it may be possible to conduct a substantive trial of the effects of the intervention films on a larger cohort of medical students and that the films may be effective in reducing stigmatising attitudes in medical students.

Crisis resolution and home treatment (CRHT) teams began operating in Edinburgh in late 2008. We ascertained service users' and carers' experiences of CRHT using a standardised questionnaire. We also assessed the impact of CRHT on psychiatric admissions and readmissions by analysing routinely collected data from November 2003 to November 2009.

There was a 24% decrease in acute psychiatric admissions in the year after CRHT began operating, whereas the previous 5 years saw an 8% reduction in the admission rate. The mean duration of in-patient stay fell by 6.5 days (22% decrease) in the 12 months following CRHT introduction, alongside a 4% decrease in readmissions and a 17% reduction in Mental Health Act 1983 admissions. Although the mean response rate was low (29%), 93% of patients reported clinical improvement during CRHT care, 27% of patients felt totally recovered at discharge from CRHT, 90% of patients felt safe during CRHT treatment, and 94% of carers said their friend or relative got better with CRHT input.

Crisis resolution and home treatment service in Edinburgh had a positive impact during the first 12 months in terms of reduced admissions, reduced duration of in-patient stay and reduced use of the Mental Health Act. The service can catalyse a more efficient use of in-patient care. Service users and carers report high rates of improvement and satisfaction with CRHT.

Most studies into autistic disorder have concentrated on children. This study aims to establish a prevalence rate of autistic disorders in an adult population with learning disabilities. Adults accessing learning disability services were diagnosed as having an autistic disorder by a two-stage process. The first stage was screening using the Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Mental Retardation Scale and then those identified by screening were diagnosed clinically.

An overall population rate of 7.7/10 000 for autistic disorder was obtained, which is a prevalence rate of 30% in those with learning disability. The prevalence rate was higher in intensive service settings.

Specific funding and interventions need to be targeted for the treatment of autistic disorders.

Mental Health Recovery Star is a multifaceted 10-item outcomes measure and key-working tool that has been widely adopted by service providers in the UK. We aimed to explore its factorial validity, internal consistency and responsiveness. Recovery Star readings were conducted twice with 203 working-age adults with moderate to severe mental health problems attending a range of mental health services, and a third time with 113 of these individuals.

Mental Health Recovery Star had high internal consistency and appeared to measure an underlying recovery-oriented construct. Results supported a valid two-factor structure which explained 48% of variance in Recovery Star ratings data. Two Recovery Star items (‘relationships’ and ‘addictive behaviour’) did not load onto either factor. There was good statistically significant item responsiveness, and no obvious item redundancy. Data for a small number of variables were not normally distributed and the implications of this are discussed.

Recovery Star has been received enthusiastically by both mental health service providers and service users. This study provides further evidence for its adoption in recovery-focused mental health services and indicates that items relating to addictive behaviour, responsibilities and work could be further developed in future.

We set out to ascertain how common this is for psychiatric trainees in South Thames and the effects it has, if any. An anonymous postal questionnaire was circulated to 400 trainees.

Of the 400 trainees, 203 (51%) responded and 109 (54%) of the respondents had had one or more patient suicide and 168 suicides were reported.We judged the effect of the suicide on the doctor to be moderate or severe in 126 (75%) of the 168 suicide events.

Patient suicide must have a higher profile in training. Formal systems need to be created to provide support and education in this area.

To systematically review the published literature on the effectiveness of classroom-based interventions to tackle the stigma of mental illness in young people, and to identify any consistent elements within successful programmes.

Seventeen studies were included in the analysis. A minority of studies reported a positive impact on stigma or knowledge outcomes at follow-up and there were considerable methodological shortcomings in the studies reviewed. These interventions varied substanitally in content and delivery. It was not possible to use this data to draw out what aspects make a successful intervention. There is currently no strong evidence to support previous conclusions that these types of intervention work for children and adolescents.

When anti-stigma interventions for young people are rolled out in the future, it is important that the programme design and method of delivery have evidence to prove their effectiveness, and that the audience and setting are the most appropriate to target. There is a current lack of strong evidence to inform this.

To examine gender differences in self-reported depression and prescribed antidepressants (ADs). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess depression, and information on prescribed ADs was obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.

Depression was reported by 11.7% of the participants (12.3% men and 11.2% women). ADs were prescribed for 7.6% of the participants (5.3% men, 9.8% women). Among men, 1.8% reported depression and used ADs, 10.5% reported depression but did not use ADs, and 3.6% used ADs but did not report depression. The corresponding figures for women were 2.6%, 8.6% and 7.2%.

Men report depression to a greater extent than women but are prescribed ADs to a lesser extent, possibly a sign of under-treatment. Women are prescribed ADs without reporting depression more often than men, possibly a sign of over-treatment. Although the causes remain unclear, diagnostic and treatment guidelines should benefit from considering gender differences in these respects.