Doctors working in psychiatry have been shown to lack practical skills in basic cardiac life support (BCLS), but these have not been regarded as priorities for training. This study assessed levels of experience, confidence and skill in BCLS, in psychiatrists, and examined the effect of a single training session on practical skills. Levels of skill were generally poor but significant improvement was seen following training. It is recommended that all psychiatrists undergo brief regular practical training in BCLS.

Narrative is an emerging adjunct in psychiatric communication allowing a meaning-centred interpretation of patient experiences. Despite this fact the philosophical framework for such an approach remains largely unknown. This article builds on an earlier article and aims to set out the underlying principles allowing the establishment of a practical and expedient use of this technique to aid patient–physician interaction and therefore improve the quality of that encounter. It will give a philosophical overview of this technique, describe its practical use in a worked example and finally expand the discussion with an argument for its integration in routine clinical consultation.

Air travel is now a common feature of most of our elderly population's lives. There is little by way of warnings, rules or recommendations for our patients with psychiatric diagnoses, in particular dementia, who intend to travel by plane, in contrast to other specialties. In this article I highlight an adverse outcome of long-haul air travel as a result of delirium and resulting accelerated decline in overall cognitive function. I review literature related to the topic and suggest ways to minimise precipitating factors for stressors prior to and during flights. This article suggests that more thought should be given to the title question.

The Owen/Russell thesis on the impact of mental illness on political leaders is considered. The importance of the issue is acknowledged. Using the examples of President Kennedy and the Shah of Iran it is argued that what constitutes good decision-making is contingent on circumstances and evaluated by outcomes. There are often alternative explanations to mental impairment for poor decision-making, and that hubris is not the only possible failing. Last, democratic systems have better mechanisms than authoritarian regimes to address the problems posed by leaders who are physically or mentally ill.

Some authors have suggested that the emergence of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the subsequent pandemic has meant that the constructs of pathological anxiety and depression are meaningless owing to widespread anxiety and depressive symptoms. This paper examines what is required to make a diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder and how this may differ from fleeting symptomatology in response to specific situations or stimuli. All people experience the emotions of both anxiety and depression, but far fewer have a persistent anxiety or depressive syndrome which interferes with their quality of life and functioning. The pandemic and its issues are then discussed, and existing studies examining the reactions of people living through the pandemic are presented. Finally, the paper examines possible ways to cope at times of increased stress and how we can try to protect ourselves from long-term mental health sequelae of chronic stress.

With growing concern – both professional and lay (Ashton, 1986; Lacey & Woodward, 1985) – about the adverse effects of long-term benzodiazepine use, many GPs are wondering how best to tackle the problem. In this paper, I describe a strategy adopted by a GP, CPN and psychiatrist (the author). This strategy centred around a meeting of all patients who had been taking benzodiazepines for over six months.

Clinical psychiatry, for all its emphasis on scientific rigour, is mediated mainly by words rather than by numbers. As with other professional areas, it has developed its own set of jargon words and phrases. Many of these are not the technical terms traditionally seen as jargon, but standard English words and phrases used in an idiosyncratic way. They therefore go unnoticed as jargon, while enfeebling our communications. I have used the template of Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary to highlight some examples, with the aim of helping us all to talk, write and, perhaps, think more clearly.

Dr Gipps claims that the cognitive therapy for depression rests on a mistake. But his anachronistic analysis of Beck's early research from the perspective of current psychoanalytic theory misses the point. The value of the research was not that it disproved psychoanalytic theory, but that it generated a model of depression that has revolutionised psychotherapy research. Psychoanalysts are belatedly adopting research methods that Beck pioneered half a century ago. The cognitive model of depression has explanatory power for both maintenance and vulnerability and has substantial research underpinning it. Cognitive therapy for depression has a larger body of evidence for its efficacy and relapse prevention effect than any other psychotherapy. Transference-focused approaches to depression have yet to establish themselves in the same way.

One of the main objectives of the College's Charter is “to promote public education”. The Public Education Committee, which was established in 1986, and is now a Special Committee of Council, has been actively promoting media coverage of College policy, materials for the general public, new research and information about good practice in psychiatry. A large part of the work of the Public Education Committee involves media activity, such as regular press releases, press conferences and responding on a daily basis to the growing number of media enquiries from all over the world.