Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) varies in its clinicalpresentation and course. Susceptibility gene variants for ADHD andassociated antisocial behaviour are being identified with emerging evidenceof gene–environment interaction. Genes and environmental factors thatinfluence the origins of disorder are not necessarily the same as those thatcontribute to its course and outcome.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) is the regulatory body that provides the institutions of the European Community with the best possible scientific advice on the quality, safety and efficacy of medicinal products. Drugs approved by the EMEA are automatically marketable in all the European member states. Since the beginning of the EMEA's activities a number of drugs acting on the central nervous system obtained marketing authorisation. This editorial highlights some aspects of the EMEA rules that may negatively affect the evaluation of medicines for psychiatric disorders.

Those people who are dangerous often have personality disorders. Should these individuals be dealt with by criminal justice or mental health services? England (note not Scotland) has taken the mental health route with the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme. Is this bold move wise or foolish? To answer this question we have both evidence and opinion – neither is conclusive.

We review the current literature relating to mental health following terrorist attacks. Studies assessing symptoms of stress in the general population and those assessing the mental health of direct victims are considered. Use of mental health services following an attack is reviewed and recommendations are offered.

The Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme was born out of a populist law and order reaction, developed on false premises, but is now evolving into an exciting initiative for providing effective services to a group of offenders with mental illness who psychiatry, and the justice services, have so long ignored. Enthusiasm, flexibility and an evidence-based approach may yet lead to real progress towards the improved management of disturbed high-risk offenders, improving the psychological and social functioning of the offenders as well as delivering a safer community.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorderaffecting children and adults. Many young people treated with stimulants, aswell as those in whom ADHD went unrecognised in childhood, need treatment asadults. Stimulants and atomoxetine effectively reduce ADHD symptoms at allages and should be a standard treatment in general adult psychiatricpractice.

The human brain has a remarkable capacity for plasticity, but does it have the capacity for repair and/or regeneration? On the basis of controversial new evidence we speculate that the answer may be ‘yes', and suggest that clinicians should therefore approach cognitive impairment and dementia with a new, cautious optimism.

It has been argued that disgust has been forgotten by psychiatry. An overview of recent research on disgust is provided. Findings suggest that disgust is a predictor of the development of specific psychiatric conditions.

The two-dimensional bipolar spectrum described here comprises a continuum of severity from normal to psychotic and a continuum from depression, via three bipolar subgroups to mania. This combination of dimensional and categorical principles for classifying mood disorders may help alleviate the problems of underdiagnosis and undertreatment of bipolar disorders.

Research evidence is beginning to emerge that social problem-solving can improve the social functioning of people with personality disorder. This approach is particularly important because it may be relatively easy to train healthcare workers to deliver this intervention. However, the costs and cost-effectiveness of social problem-solving need to be established if it is to be made more widely available.