Postgraduate courses on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) assess various competencies using essays, case studies and audiotapes or videotapes of clinical work

To evaluate how reliably a well-established postgraduate course assesses CBT competencies

Data were collected on two cohorts of trainees (n=52). Two examiners marked trainees on: (a) two videotapes of clinical practice; (b) two case studies; and (c) three essays

Essay examinations were more reliable than case studies, which in turn were more reliable than videotaped assessments. The reliability of the latter two assessments was considerably lower than that commonly expected of high-stakes examinations. To assess reliably standard CBT competencies, postgraduate courses would need to examine about 5 essays, 12 case studies and 19 videotapes

Reliable assessment of standard competencies is complex and resource intensive. There would need to be a marked increase in the number of samples of clinical work assessed to be able to make reliable judgements about proficiency

Although childhood abuse is an important correlate of suicidality, not all individuals who were abused as children attempt suicide.

To identify correlates and moderators of suicide attempts in adults reporting childhood physical abuse, contact sexual abuse, or both.

A French-Canadian, school-based cohort (n=1684) was prospectively followed.

The identity of the abuser moderated the relationship of abuse frequency and suicide attempts, with individuals abused by their immediate family being at highest risk. Although paternal education exhibited negative associations (OR=0.71, 95% CI 0.58–0.88), several externalising phenotypes had positive associations with suicide attempts: disruptive disorders (OR=3.10, 95% CI 1.05–9.15), conduct problems (OR=1.09, 95% CI 1.01–1.19) and childhood aggression (OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.08–1.83).

Characteristics of the abuser and abusive acts may be important additional indicators of risk for suicide attempts. Future research needs to employ developmental approaches to examine the extent and mechanisms by which childhood abuse contributes to the shared variance of suicidality, maladaptive traits and psychopathology.

Antidepressant prescribing should reflect need. The Quality and Outcomes Framework has provided an opportunity to explore factors affecting antidepressant prescribing in UK general practice.

To explore the relationship between physical illness, social deprivation, ethnicity, practice characteristics and the volume of antidepressants prescribed in primary care.

This was an ecological study using data derived from the Quality and Outcomes Framework, the Informatics Collaboratory of the Social Sciences, and Prescribing Analyses and CosT data for 2004-2005. Associations were examined using linear regression modelling.

Socio-economic status, ethnic density, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and epilepsy explained 44% of the variance in the volume of antidepressants prescribed.

Lower volumes of antidepressants are prescribed in areas with high densities of Black or Asian people. This may suggest disparities in provision of care. Chronic respiratory disease and epilepsy may have a more important association with depression in primary care than previously thought.

Cognitive–behavioural self-care is advocated as a first step in the treatment of bulimia nervosa.

To examine the effectiveness of a CD–ROM-based cognitive–behavioural intervention in bulimia nervosa and eating disorder not otherwise specified (NOS) (bulimic type) in a routine setting.

Ninety-seven people with bulimia nervosa or eating disorder NOS were randomised to either CD–ROM without support for 3 months followed by a flexible number of therapist sessions or to a 3-month waiting list followed by 15 sessions of therapist cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) (ISRCTN51564819). Clinical symptoms were assessed at pre-treatment 3 months and 7 months.

Only two-thirds of participants started treatment. Although there were significant group × time interactions for bingeing and vomiting, favouring the CD–ROM group at 3 months and the waiting-list group at 7 months, post hoc group comparisons at 3 and 7 months found no significant differences for bingeing or vomiting. CD–ROM-based delivery of this intervention, without support from a clinician, may not be the best way of exploiting its benefits.

Drugs of dependence cause dopamine release in the rat striatum. Human neuroimaging studies have shown an increase in dopamine in the equivalent region in response to stimulants and other drugs

We tested whether opioids provoke dopamine release and its relationship to the subjective experience

In two combined studies 14 heroin addicts on methadone maintenance treatment underwent two positron emission tomography brain scans of the dopamine system using [11C]-raclopride following an injection of placebo and either 50 mg intravenous diamorphine or 10 mg subcutaneous hydromorphone in a double-blind, random order design

Both opioids produced marked subjective and physiological effects, but no measurable change in [11C]-raclopride binding

The absence of a dopamine response to opioid agonists contrasts with that found with stimulant drugs and suggests dopamine may not play the same role in addiction to opioids. This questions the role of dopamine in the subjective experience of heroin in opioid addicts

Parents' perspectives on self-harm are considered important, but have not been explored.

To gain perspective of parents of adolescents who self-harm on: (a) history of self-harm and health service provision; (b) their understanding and ability to make sense of self-harm behaviour; (c) emotional and personal impact; and (d) parent skills as carer and hope for the future.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis was applied to semi-structured interviews with 12 parents of adolescents receiving treatment for self-harm in community child and adolescent mental health services.

Parents commonly suspected and spotted self-harm prior to disclosure or service contact; however, communication difficulties and underestimating significance led to delays in addressing the behaviour. Parents struggled to understand and cope with self-harm.

Parents require advice and support from outside services to help them manage self-harming behaviour and its personal impact. This study suggests parents are early to spot signs of self-harm, indicating their key role in reaching young people in the community who remain unknown to health services.

Family carers are the most important source of dementia care, especially among ethnic minority populations, who are less likely to access health or social services. The evidence base on the carer experience in these communities is profoundly limited.

To explore the caregiving attitudes, experiences and needs of family carers of people with dementia from the three largest ethnic groups in the UK.

A qualitative study, using a grounded theory approach. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 32 carers of people with dementia (10 Black Caribbean, 10 south Asian, 12 White British).

Carers were identified as holding a ‘traditional’ or ‘non-traditional’ caregiver ideology, according to whether they conceptualised caregiving as natural, expected and virtuous. This informed feelings of fulfilment, strain, carers' fears and attitudes towards formal services. The majority of the south Asian, half of the Black Caribbean and a minority of the White British participants were found to possess a traditional ideology.

The findings suggest that specific cultural attitudes towards the caregiving role have important implications for how carers can best be supported.

Low rates of suicide in older men and high rates in young women have been reported in the South Asian diaspora worldwide. Calculating such suicide rates in the UK is difficult because ethnicity is not recorded on death certificates.

To calculate the South Asian origin population suicide rates and to assess changes over time using new technology.

Suicide rates in England and Wales were calculated using the South Asian Name and Group Recognition Algorithm (SANGRA) computer software.

The age-standardised suicide rate for men of South Asian origin was lower than other men in England and Wales, and the rate for women of South Asian origin was marginally raised. In aggregated data for 1999–2003 the age-specific suicide rate in young women of South Asian origin was lower than that for women in England and Wales. The suicide rate in those over 65 years was double that of England and Wales.

Older, rather than younger, women of South Asian origin seem to be an at-risk group. Further research should investigate the reasons for these changes and whether these patterns are true for all South Asian origin groups.

There is a lack of validated instruments measuring perceived stigma in people with intellectual disability.

To develop a valid and reliable self-rated instrument to measure perceived stigma that can be completed by people with mild to moderate intellectual disability.

A literature search was used to generate a list of statements. Professionals, individuals with intellectual disability and carers were consulted about the suitability of statements. An instrument was developed containing statements about stigma with accompanying photographs. Test–retest reliability, internal consistency and the factor structure of the instrument were evaluated.

The instrument was completed by 109 people once and 88 people twice. Items with limited variability in responses and kappa coefficients lower than 0.4 were dropped. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors: ‘perceived discrimination’ (seven items) and ‘reaction to discrimination’ (four items). One item loaded onto both factors. Cronbach's alpha for the ten-item instrument was 0.84.

This instrument will further our understanding of the impact of stigma in people with intellectual disability in clinical and research settings.

Little is known about the management of health anxiety and hypochondriasis in secondary care settings.

To determine whether cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) along with a supplementary manual was effective in reducing symptoms and health consultations in patients with high health anxiety in a genitourinary medicine clinic.

Patients with high health anxiety were randomly assigned to brief CBT and compared with a control group.

Greater improvement was seen in Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) scores (primary outcome) in patients treated with CBT (n=23) than in the control group (n=26) (P=0.001). Similar but less marked differences were found for secondary outcomes of generalised anxiety, depression and social function, and there were fewer health service consultations. The CBT intervention resulted in improvements in outcomes alongside higher costs, with an incremental cost of £33 per unit reduction in HAI score.

Cognitive–behavioural therapy for health anxiety within a genitourinary medicine clinic is effective and suggests wider use of this intervention in medical settings.

Some studies have shown the presence of psychopathological disorders in transient global amnesia.

To determine whether transient global amnesia is associated with psychopathological disorders and to assess the influence of these psychopathological disorders on memory impairments.

Levels of anxiety and depression before and during transient global amnesia were rated. Memory performances were assessed by means of original episodic memory tasks and working memory tasks. These data were collected in 17 individuals observed during the very acute phase, 18 individuals examined in the peri-acute phase and 26 controls.

During the acute phase, participants with transient global amnesia displayed a higher level of anxiety and a more depressed mood than controls. An alteration of emotional state, as measured by the Adjective Mood Scale, was correlated with deficits in anterograde memory.

Transient global amnesia comprises sudden changes in people's emotional state, which has a major impact on and interacts with episodic memory impairment.

Patient involvement in the decision-making process is a key element for good clinical practice. Few data are available on patient involvement in psychiatry.

To assess in a psychiatric out-patient context how psychiatrists involve patients in therapeutic decisions and to determine the extent to which patient and psychiatrist characteristics contribute to patient involvement.

Eighty transcripts from audiotaped first out-patient consultations, conducted by 16 psychiatrists, were rated with the OPTION (observing patient involvement) scale. Interrater reliability indices were obtained for 30 randomly selected interviews. Associations between OPTION scores and some clinical and socio-demographic variables were tested using t-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient where appropriate. The distribution of scores for each psychiatrist was assessed by intracluster correlation coefficients.

Interrater reliability and internal consistency of the OPTION scale in the psychiatric setting were satisfactory. The total score and the ratings for the single OPTION items showed a skewed distribution, with a prevalence of scores in the low range of abilities, corresponding to minimal attempts to involve patients or a minimal skill level.

The OPTION scale proves to be a reliable instrument to assess patient involvement in a psychiatric setting. Psychiatrists showed poor patient involvement abilities parallel to previous findings in psychiatry and primary care. They need to be encouraged to share treatment decisions with their patients and to apply patient involvement skills. Further research is needed to establish which patient variables and clinical settings in psychiatry are more amenable to shared decisions, and how participation of psychiatric patients in treatment decisions will affect the outcome.

Suicide rates vary by occupation but this relationship has not been frequently studied

To identify the occupations with significantly high suicide rates in England and Wales in 2001–2005 and to compare these with rates from previous decades

Mortality data from death registrations in England and Wales over the calendar years 2001–2005 were used to calculate proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for both men and women aged 20–64 years by their occupation

Among men, in 2001–2005, construction workers, and plant and machine operatives had the greatest number of suicides. The highest PMRs were for health professionals (PMR=164) and agricultural workers (PMR=133). Among women, administrative and secretarial workers had the greatest number of suicides yet the highest PMRs were found for health (PMR=232), and sport and fitness (PMR=244) occupations

Excess mortality from suicide remains in some occupational groups. The apparent changes in suicide patterns merits further exploration, for example examining the prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation in medical practitioners, dentists, veterinarians, agricultural workers, librarians and construction workers