It appears self-evident that psychiatry should be classified as a particular specialty within the broader field of medicine. Psychiatrists, being first and foremost doctors, have undertaken an identical basic training to their physician and surgical peers and, as in general medicine and surgery, the biomedical model is a central pillar of psychiatric practice. Within psychiatry, signs and symptoms are elicited, diagnoses made and very often physical interventions (in the form of psychotropic agents) are employed. However, familiar institutional conventions can conceal the fact that psychiatry suffers from greater uncertainty regarding its conceptual foundations than other fields of medicine. In fact, the conceptual challenges arising within psychiatry are reflected in its thriving field of philosophy, and although there exists a dedicated philosophy of medicine, no other specialty is equal to psychiatry's breadth of conceptual debate.

Data from five waves (2002–10) of the European Social Survey were examined to see the extent to which heterosexual and homosexual couples differ in their health and happiness. Homosexual people had lower levels of self-rated health and happiness. We suggest that those who experience discrimination are more strongly integrated in their gay community, which, in turn, may bring positive effects in terms of happiness due to a sense of belonging, but may be accompanied by the specific health risks associated with this community.

Heterosexuality continues to be regarded and adopted as a norm in the majority of Asian societies. In Hong Kong, lesbians and gay men are still encountering unfavourable attitudes from the general public (such as stereotyping and discrimination). This paper briefly reviews the legal and cultural context and notes in particular the situation in schools.

There is a perceived increase in incidents of rhetoric, legislation and vigilantism against sexual minorities and their allies across Africa. This ‘African homophobia’ is counter to human rights conventions, public health best practices and sound economic development. The paper reviews areas of progress as well as the broad economic and cultural contexts for the experiences of African sexual minorities.

Australia has a generally progressive approach to mental health law, reflective of international trends in human rights. Responsibility for most legislation is vested in the six States and two Territories, a total of eight jurisdictions, such that at any given time several new mental health acts are in preparation. In addition there is a model mental health act that promotes common standards. Transfer of orders between jurisdictions relies on Memoranda of Understanding between them, and is patchy. State and Territory legislation is generally cognisant of international treaty obligations, which are themselves the preserve of the Federal Parliament and legislature. UK legislation has had a key influence in Australia, the 1959 Mental Health Act in particular, with its strong emphasis on voluntary hospitalisation, prefacing deinstitutionalisation.

Civil commitment standards in the USA have undergone dramatic changes over the past 50 years. The relevant statutes have largely focused on treatment, but how this treatment has been administered and the placement of individuals undergoing commitment have been dynamic. There have also been changes in commitment as it relates to sexual offenders and individuals deemed not competent to proceed to trial. As legislatures strive to find a balance between mandated treatment and civil liberties, changing standards of commitment provide opportunities for scholarship and research.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) may be considered a reliable measure of child behaviour, social functioning and adjustment in an Indian Gujarati context. The sample comprised 351 children who were classified as coming from a ‘poverty’ or ‘non-poverty’ background. The means and standard deviations for the SDQ total and five behavioural scales, as rated by children themselves, were first calculated for the entire Gujarati sample, then for the poverty and non-poverty subgroups. The SDQ did prove to be an appropriate measure for behavioural assessment. Its cross-cultural sensitivity was ascertained by comparing it against a British normative population. Small effect sizes were seen in the Emotional subscale scores and scores for total difficulties, and medium and large effect sizes on the Prosocial and Peer subscales, respectively, with greater difficulties experienced by the Indian Gujarati sample than their British counterparts.

Understanding the way in which people seek care for mental disorders is important for planning services, training and referral mechanisms. Pathways to care fall broadly into three categories: via primary care physicians; via native healers; and via patient choice (patients can have direct access to mental health professionals). The pattern and nature of access to service in low-income countries are different from those in high-income countries. In many societies, deep-seated cultural beliefs on the part of patients and families about the causes of mental disorders are a major barrier to the receipt of modern psychiatric care.

This review looks at the long-established customs and religious beliefs, as well as social and family structures, affecting the symptoms of psychiatric disorders among Egyptian people. It considers reactions to emotional distress and dysfunctionality. Some light is also shed on the healthcare system.