Bleakley et al (Psychiatric Bulletin, March 2007, 31, ) reported a survey of professional opinion (including 65 doctors) from the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust on antipsychotic medication. They found that aripiprazole, olanzapine and risperidone were popular.

We undertook a similar survey (Reference Taylor and BrownTaylor & Brown, 2007) of all College members and fellows in Scotland some 18 months earlier. Coincidentally our paper was with the editorial staff of the Bulletin shortly before Bleakley et al commenced their survey. In our survey 544 psychiatrists from all specialties replied, representing 59% of the total in Scotland. Risperidone was clearly the preferred antipsychotic (29% of the total ‘vote’), and it may be worth noting that risperidone is due to come off patent soon. Our study also was undertaken only 6 months after the UK launch of aripiprazole, possibly confounding views on that medication. We also collected opinions on electroconvulsive therapy and treatment preferences for depression, with some surprising results.

Collective expert opinion can be an interesting form of evidence, complementing experimental data. However, it is time sensitive and dependent on the population surveyed.