This national pre-pandemic survey compared demand and capacity of adult community eating disorder services (ACEDS) with NHS England (NHSE) commissioning guidance.

Thirteen services in England and Scotland responded (covering 10.7 million population). Between 2016–2017 and 2019–2020 mean referral rates increased by 18.8%, from 378 to 449/million population. Only 3.7% of referrals were from child and adolescent eating disorder services (CEDS-CYP), but 46% of patients were aged 18–25 and 54% were aged >25. Most ACEDS had waiting lists and rationed access. Many could not provide full medical monitoring, adapt treatment for comorbidities, offer assertive outreach or provide seamless transitions. For patient volume, the ACEDS workforce budget was 15%, compared with the NHSE workforce calculator recommendations for CEDS-CYP. Parity required £7 million investment/million population for the ACEDS.

This study highlights the severe pressure in ACEDS, which has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantial investment is required to ensure NHS ACEDS meet national guidance, offer evidence-based treatment, reduce risk and preventable deaths, and achieve parity with CEDS-CYP.

Training and practice in neuropsychiatry varies across the world. However, little is known about the experiences and opinions of early career psychiatrists (ECPs) across different countries regarding neuropsychiatry.

To investigate neuropsychiatry training experiences, practices and opinions among ECPs across different countries. An online survey was distributed to ECPs in 35 countries across the world.

A total of 522 participants took part in this study. Responses show that neuropsychiatry is integrated to a variable extent in psychiatric training curricula across the world. Most respondents were not aware of the existence of neuropsychiatric training or of neuropsychiatric units. Most agreed that training in neuropsychiatry should be done during or after the psychiatry training period. Lack of interest among specialty societies, lack of time during training, and political and economic reasons are regarded as the main barriers.

These findings call for an improvement in the extent and in the quality of neuropsychiatry training across the world.

The prevalence of delaying psychiatric care until the patient has received ‘medical clearance’, and the definitions and understanding of ‘medical clearance’ terminology by relevant clinicians, are largely unknown. In a service evaluation of adult liaison psychiatry services across England, we explore the prevalence, definitions and understanding of ‘medical clearance’ terminology in three parallel studies: (a) an analysis of trust policies, (b) a survey of liaison psychiatry services and (c) a survey of referring junior doctors. Content and thematic analyses were performed.

‘Medical clearance’ terminology was used in the majority of trust policies, reported as a referral criterion by many liaison psychiatry services and had been encountered by most referring doctors. ‘Medical clearance’ was identified as a common barrier to liaison psychiatry referral. Terms were inconsistently used and poorly defined.

Many liaison psychiatry services seem not to comply with guidance promoting parallel assessment. This may affect parity of physical and mental healthcare provision.

To investigate the experiences and support needs of consultant psychiatrists following a patient-perpetrated homicide, an anonymous online survey was sent to all consultant psychiatrists registered as members of the UK's Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Of the 497 psychiatrists who responded, 165 (33%) had experienced a homicide by a patient under their consultant care. Most respondents reported negative impacts on their clinical work (83%), mental and/or physical health (78%) or personal relationships (59%), and for some (9–12%) these were severe and long lasting. Formal processes such as serious incident inquiries were commonly experienced as distressing. Support was mainly provided by friends, family and colleagues rather than the employing organisation.

Mental health service providers need to provide support and guidance to psychiatrists following a patient-perpetrated homicide to help them manage the personal and professional impact. Further research into the needs of other mental health professionals is needed.

We aimed to estimate the costs of care for people with a personality disorder diagnosis and compare service use and costs for those receiving specialist input and those receiving generic care. Service use data were obtained from records and costs calculated. Comparisons were made between those who received care from specialist personality disorder teams and those who did not. Demographic and clinical predictors of costs were identified with regression modelling.

Mean total costs before diagnosis were £10 156 for the specialist group and £11 531 for the non-specialist group. Post-diagnosis costs were £24 017 and £22 266 respectively. Costs were associated with specialist care, comorbid conditions and living outside of London.

Receiving increased support from a specialist service may reduce the need for in-patient care. This may be clinically appropriate and results in a distribution of costs.

Smoking and vaping are prohibited on Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) campuses. The HSE states that there is no evidence to suggest vaping is less damaging than cigarettes. Recent meta-analyses have shown that e-cigarettes are in fact less dangerous and can help smokers quit. Our study analyses the current smoking policies in place in mental health ‘approved centres’ in Ireland, what is being done to help smokers quit while in-patients and the level of support among staff for the introduction of e-cigarettes as a harm reduction tool. Clinical nurse managers from each mental health approved centre were surveyed to assess adherence to smoking policies.

Only 5% of surveyed units enforce the HSE's Tobacco Free Campus Policy; 55% of units supported the idea of using e-cigarettes to help patients quit cigarettes.

Ireland's hospital campuses are not tobacco free. Changes need to be made to our smoking policies and their enforcement.

We aimed to establish cut-off scores to stage dementia on the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III) and the Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (M-ACE) compared with scores traditionally used with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Our cross-sectional study recruited 80 patients and carers from secondary care services in the UK.

A score ≤76 on the ACE-III and ≤19 on the M-ACE correlated well with MMSE cut-offs for mild dementia, with a good fit on the receiver operating characteristic analysis for both the ACE-III and M-ACE. The cut-off for moderate dementia had lower sensitivity and specificity. There were low to moderate correlations between the cognitive scales and scales for everyday functioning and behaviour.

Our findings allow an objective interpretation of scores on the ACE-III and the M-ACE relative to the MMSE, which may be helpful for clinical services and research trials.

Calls for the integration of spirituality into psychiatric practice have raised concerns about boundary violations. We sought to develop a method to capture psychiatrists’ attitudes to professional boundaries and spirituality, explore consensus and understand what factors are considered. Case vignettes were developed, tested and refined. Three vignettes were presented to 80 mental health professionals (53% said they were psychiatrists; 39% did not identify their professional status). Participants recorded their reactions to the vignettes. Four researchers categorised these as identifying boundary violations or not and analysed the factors considered.

In 90% of cases, at least three of the four researchers agreed on classification (boundary violation; possible boundary violation; no boundary violation). Participants’ opinion about boundary violations was heterogeneous. There was consensus that psychiatrists should not proselytise in clinical settings. Reasoning emphasised pragmatic concerns. Few participants mentioned their religious beliefs. Equivocation was common.

Mental health professionals seem unsure about professional boundaries concerning religion and spirituality in psychiatric practice.

Non-Western literature on the core competencies of mental health peer supporters remains limited. Therefore, we used a three-round Delphi study with peer supporters, service users (i.e. someone using peer support services) and mental health professionals to develop a core competency framework for peer supporters in the Chinese context.

The final framework included 35 core competencies, the conceptual origins of which were local (14.3%), Western (20%) and both local and Western (65.7%). They were grouped into five categories in ascending peer supporter role specificity: (1) self-care and self-development, (2) general work ethics, (3) work with others, (4) work with service users and (5) peer support knowledge.

A culturally valid mental health peer support competency framework can minimise role confusion and refine training and practice guidelines. In a Chinese context, peer supporters were valued as generic support companions, whereas functions highlighted in the West, such as role modelling, were perceived as less critical.

At the start of a new community perinatal mental health service in Scotland we sought the opinions and aspirations of professional and lay stakeholders. A student elective project supported the creation of an anonymous 360-degree online survey of a variety of staff and people with lived experience of suffering from or managing perinatal mental health problems. The survey was designed and piloted with trainees and volunteer patients.

A rich variety of opinions was gathered from the 60 responses, which came from a reasonably representative sample. Respondents provided specific answers to key questions and wrote free-text recommendations and concerns to inform service development.

There is clear demand for the new expanded service, with strong support for provision of a mother and baby unit in the North of Scotland. The digital survey method could be adapted to generate future surveys to review satisfaction with service development and generate ideas for further change.

Liaison psychiatry services have seen significant developments the UK. Regular surveys of liaison psychiatry in England have contributed to this, but it has not attracted the same interest in Scotland, with only a mention and no commitments in the Scottish Government's Mental Health Strategy. There have been no comprehensive surveys in Scotland and this study was an attempt to explore provisioning of services. A questionnaire was sent to liaison psychiatry services in the mainland Scottish National Health Service (NHS) health boards.

Responses obtained from all 11 boards revealed considerable variation in service provisioning. Services provided through acute rather than mental health directorates seem significantly better resourced.

Liaison psychiatry services can improve care for patients but require adequate resources to do so. There are limited quality standards for Scottish liaison services, unlike other devolved nations, leading to variation in provision. This survey will assist in designing quality standards for liaison psychiatry in Scotland.

Nasogastric tube feeding under physical restraint is an intervention that clinicians working in specialist mental health in-patient units may need to implement.

To examine the impact of this intervention on people with lived experience, carers and staff.

People with lived experience and parents and/or carers were recruited via UK eating disorder charity Beat. Clinicians were recruited via the British Eating Disorders Society's research forum. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted and transcribed, and the results were thematically analysed.

Thirty-six participants took part, and overlapping themes were identified. All participants spoke in relation to four themes: (a) the short-term impact on the patient; (b) the impact on those around the patient; (c) the long-term impact; and (d) the positive impact. Subthemes were identified and explored.

This lifesaving intervention can also negatively affect patients, parents and carers, peers and staff. Further research is needed to understand how interactions and environmental modifications can mitigate the negative impacts.

This study aimed to assess current levels of knowledge, opinions and attitudes regarding mental health among the local cohort of general practitioner trainees (n = 45) working in Malta. A questionnaire adapted from the Mental Health Literacy Scale was used. Data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation tests.

All participants had scores equal to or more than the mean score in their knowledge and confidence assessments; 51% of the participants achieved the maximum score for a very positive attitude towards mental health, with such scores found particularly among female trainees. Increased levels of knowledge are associated with a more positive attitude, which can in turn lead to greater acceptance and reduce stigma.

Knowledge is a powerful tool for reducing stigma and improving the doctor–patient relationship, indicating that regular training initiatives are necessary to equip budding general practitioner specialists with the necessary skills and confidence.

This narrative review updates the evidence base for cancer-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Databases were searched in December 2021, and included EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO and PubMed. Adults diagnosed with cancer who had symptoms of PTSD were included.

The initial search identified 182 records, and 11 studies were included in the final review. Psychological interventions were varied, and cognitive–behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing were perceived to be most efficacious. The studies were also independently rated for methodological quality, which was found to be hugely variable.

There remains a lack of high-quality intervention studies for PTSD in cancer, and there is a wide range of approaches to managing these conditions, with a large heterogeneity in the cancer populations examined and methodologies used. Specific studies designed with patient and public engagement and that tailor the PTSD intervention to particular cancer populations under investigation are required.

Research regarding quitting cannabis use often excludes patients with severe mental illness (SMI). We investigated facilitating and impeding factors in SMI patients and their advice to others, using semi-structured interviews with 12 SMI-patients, who were daily cannabis users for ≥12 months and had fully stopped using for ≥6 months.

Seeking distraction, social contacts in personal environment, avoiding temptation and support from professionals were facilitating factors in stopping. Impeding factors were withdrawal symptoms, user environment, experiencing stress and user's routine. Advice to other patients included to just do it, seek support from others, quit ‘cold turkey’ and acknowledge that cannabis use is a problem. Advice to mental health professionals is to discuss cannabis use from the start of treatment.

It is important to inform patients that cannabis use has negative consequences and limits the effects of treatment. Do not judge cannabis use or force the patient to stop.