Ian Cummins considers the implications of a new cohort study of convicted prisoners in Sweden, which links psychiatric disorders with violent reoffending.
[read the full story...]Caring for people with severe mental illness: poor research means that carers get a raw deal
Caroline Struthers is frustrated by the lack of high quality research identified by this recent review, which looks at interventions to improve the experience and well-being of those caring for people with severe mental illness.
[read the full story...]Mood Matters: mood instability is common and associated with poor outcomes
Farhana Mann summarises an observational study of mood instability in people with mental illness, which explores its relationship with days spent in hospital, frequency of admissions, the likelihood of being sectioned and the chance of being prescribed antipsychotics and mood stabilisers.
[read the full story...]Smoking cessation for people with severe mental illness
Sally Adams appraises and summarises the SCIMITAR pilot RCT, which investigates smoking cessation for people with severe mental ill health. The paper presents a highly promising bespoke intervention for smokers with bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia.
[read the full story...]Premature mortality in bipolar disorder
Elena Marcus appraises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of premature mortality in bipolar affective disorder, which finds that people with bipolar disorder have increased mortality rates compared with the general population.
[read the full story...]Screening for bipolar spectrum disorders (MDQ, BSDS and HCL-32)
Elena Marcus appraises a recent meta-analysis of screening for bipolar spectrum disorders, which concludes that the MDQ and HCL-32 tools are supported by more evidence than the BSDS tool.
[read the full story...]The antidepressant effects of ketamine are confirmed by a new systematic review and meta-analysis
Helge Hasselmann summarises a new systematic review and meta-analysis, which confirms the antidepressant effects of ketamine.
[read the full story...]People with severe mental illness are more likely to be victims of violent and non-violent crime
Vishal Bhavsar summarises a recent cross-sectional study of violent and non-violent crime against adults with severe mental illness, which finds that service users were five times more likely to be victims of assault, and three times more likely to be victims of household acquisitive crime.
[read the full story...]Searching for the cost of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is associated with high economic costs…or is it? Chris Sampson reports on a new systematic review, which highlights limitations in our understanding.
[read the full story...]Compulsory community treatment results in no significant difference in service use, social functioning or quality of life
Rebecca Syed appraises and summarises an updated Cochrane review of compulsory community treatment and involuntary outpatient treatment for people with severe mental disorders. The review finds just 3 trials, which show that CCT results in no significant difference in service use, social functioning or quality of life.
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