The treatment of two chlorpromazine-medicated chronic schizophrenics with cimetidine resulted in excessive sedation, which necessitated a reduction in chlorpromazine dosage. Eventual discontinuation of cimetidine therapy led to a return of schizophrenic symptoms, which responded to an increase in chlorpromazine dosage to previous levels.

The well-developed community psychiatric services in the 13th Arrondissement use a large number of places in sheltered accommodation. Reasons for this are explored. It may be that there are areas in the U.K. where the need for such accommodation is greater than the Department of Health and Social Security has estimated.

The diagnostic index is a most valuable tool when using a hospital's records for research purposes. This paper describes an attempt to produce such an index suitable for use in a busy psychiatric hospital. It was felt that priority should be given to simplicity and ease of use, as otherwise few of those concerned would have been able to spare the time needed for its preparation. Later an attempt was made to assess its reliability in use at two hospitals.

The purpose of this collection of papers is to describe the present state of development of Chapter V (F) of the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) (to be published by the World Health Organization, Geneva), and to discuss some related issues concerning psychiatric classification in an international setting.

Antidepressants, as the term is currently understood, were introduced into clinical practice in the late 1950s. The first of these was imipramine, shortly to be followed by amitriptyline and then by a series of related compounds - all chemically ‘tricyclics’. These subsequently became known as the ‘first-generation’ antidepressants; imipramine and amitriptyline in particular have since become the standards against which others have been compared.

The care of the mentally subnormal in Britain has quite suddenly become a live and prominent issue, but public indignation fades quickly and political interest is soon transferred to other issues that are constantly arising. The time seems ripe to re-think the overall philosophy of provision for the mentally subnormal in a developed industrial society, and in particular, the place of the large institution (Craft, 1970; and McKeown, 1970). These institutions resulted from conditions which no longer exist, and they now attempt to carry out a variety of functions, which many think ought to be separated. However, the subject remains a very controversial one (Shapiro, 1969, 1970; Freeman, 1969a).

This investigation is an extension of a study carried out recently (Lowe, 1966) with educationally subnormal school children.