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.

This article provides a brief outline of mental health services in Qatar, historical notes on the use of informal traditional conventions under common law for the care under compulsory conditions of people who are mentally ill and information on the ongoing development of the Mental Health Law and its key provisions in the context of the new National Mental Health Strategy.

The Argentinean Congreso de la Nacion (National Congress, or Parliament) approved in November 2010 a new Mental Health Law (MHL) (Law 26657, ‘Salud Publico. Derecho a la Proteccion de la Salud Mental’ [Public Health. The Right to Protect Mental Health]). Although it is not the first law concerning mental health – as several of the provinces and the autonomous city of Buenos Aires (Argentina's capital) have enacted their own – the MHL establishes principles for human rights and the protection of patients, and aims to develop approaches in mental health that are compatible with the most advanced views and legislation from high-income countries. In this paper we report on the most important aspects of the MHL. We highlight areas that represent a change for Argentina, such as the new arrangements for both informal and compulsory admission to hospital.

There is no separate mental health act in Hungary and there has never been one. This paper gives some historical background and then summarises the legislation that relates to mental health.

The history of the psychiatric scene in Jordan is briefly described, and the Jordanian Public Health Law is highlighted, as its chapter on mental health regulates compulsory admission. Some notes are included on the criminal law and civil law, and Jordan's forensic psychiatric services are briefly described.

Brazil is a Federal Union which comprises 27 member states, one Federal District, and about 5000 municipalities. According to the Federal Constitution (Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil; Diário Oficial da União, 05/out/1988), the competence to rule over health issues is shared by all of them. So, in each part of the country three levels of legislation apply: federal, state and local law. However, as an inferior level of law must not conflict with a superior one, there is a relative uniformity throughout the country, at least in theory. Regarding actual mental healthcare delivery, there are many differences across the Brazilian regions, mostly due to socioeconomic variation.

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.

Serbia has, along with other countries in the region, begun reform of its mental healthcare services. The delivery of mental healthcare was hitherto only partially regulated by law. Hence the National Committee for Mental Healthcare in Serbia has prepared a draft Mental Health Law within the context of a multicentre project entitled ‘Enhancing social cohesion through strengthening community care’ as part of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. It is expected that new mental health legislation will soon be approved by Parliament and lead to the implementation of changes concerning mental healthcare. It should contribute to the destigmatisation of patients, mental health professionals and psychiatry as a discipline.

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 prevalence rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and subthreshold PTSD (SPTSD) were measured in 258 survivors of two suicide bombings in Karbala, Iraq, 2 months after the incidents. Of the total sample, 112 (43.4%) had PTSD and 59 (22.9%) had SPTSD. PTSD was more prevalent after the incident that was associated with more civilian deaths.

A cross-sectional survey of children aged 5–11 years attending 22 primary schools was carried out in Karachi, Pakistan. In the first (screening) phase, broad morbidity rates were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A total of 968 parents and 793 teachers participated. In the second phase, 100 children were selected for a diagnostic interview using the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders & Schizophrenia for School-Age Children. A weighted rate of 17% (95% CI 6.2–28.3%) was found for common child psychiatric disorders, with a preponderance of behavioural disorders, followed by anxiety and mood disorders. The feasibility study established methods and preliminary rates of child psychiatric disorders, which appear higher than in other countries. School surveys could be an important source of data in low-income countries and form the basis for interventions in the absence of specialist services.

Several years ago, Al Amal Hospital began to use the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) for the assessment and measurement of the outcome of care provided for persons with addiction problems. Clinical staff have been sceptical about the usefulness of this tool in clinical practice. We conducted a survey of staff to record their opinions of the ASI and other outcome measurement tools. Participants highlighted factors that would encourage the use of such tools in daily practice. In order to achieve the desired goals, an outcome measurement tool should be concise, adapted to culture and suitable for use in treatment planning and follow-up by clinicians.

A sample of 206 Canadian psychiatrists who routinely treat patients with psychotic disorders were randomly surveyed regarding their knowledge and practice in relation to persistent negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Large majorities reported observing a high prevalence of persistent negative symptoms that do not respond to available treatments (83%), have a profound impact on functional outcomes (96.5%) and contribute to family burden. Almost half the sample (43%) recognised the importance of formally assessing persistent symptoms and nearly a third (30%) indicated that this was a part of their usual practice. These survey results correspond with recent consensus and highlight the importance and challenge of treating persistent negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

It is my observation that Sri Lankan clinical psychologists, contrary to international standards, can, at times, be prevented from independent practice by psychiatric colleagues. This paper suggests reasons for the sometimes strained relations between clinical psychology and psychiatry and discusses the future of the profession in Sri Lanka. An important step would be the establishment of separate departments of clinical psychology in the health system, rather than psychologists being situated within departments of psychiatry.

The evidence base for rapid tranquillisation is small in higher-income countries but is even smaller in sub-Saharan Africa. We initiated the first ever survey on the use of rapid tranquillisation in Zambia in 2009; a further survey was then done in 2010, after a programme of teaching and training. It demonstrated an overall improvement in clinical practice, safety, awareness and use of medications within therapeutic doses. It also led to a reduction in inappropriate use of medications. These improvements in practice occurred within a short time span and with minimal effort. Further international collaborative partnerships are required to build stronger mental health infrastructure in Zambia.

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.