Recent findings indicate that the established association between social indicators of deprivation and psychiatric admission rates may not hold across all diagnoses.

Admission rates in individuals aged 16–64 years for 71 electoral wards in North Staffordshire were calculated for six diagnostic groups using data from the Korner Episode System for 1987–1993. These were correlated with selected individual census variables, Townsend and Jarman indices. The ability of regression models to predict admission rates was tested.

The strongest correlations were found for total admissions (r 0.44–0.79). Strong correlations were found for neurotic disorders/depression (r 0.29–0.62), schizophrenia (r 0.24–0.59), all non-psychotic disorders combined (r 0.41–0.71) and all psychotic disorders combined (r 0.33–0.67). Predicted admission rates for total admissions, psychotic and non-psychotic admissions using regression models showed strong positive correlations with observed admission rates.

The strong correlations between social indicators of deprivation and total psychotic admission rates are consistent with the results of previous studies. The strong associations between social indicators and admissions for non-psychotic disorders is contrary to previous findings and may be partly explained by the relatively high admission rates for neurotic disorders.

The epidemiology of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder in the community is largely unknown.

To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of rapid-cycling and non-rapid-cycling bipolar disorder in a large cross-national community sample.

The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI version 3.0) was used to examine the prevalence, severity, comorbidity, impairment, suicidality, sociodemographics, childhood adversity and treatment of rapid-cycling and non-rapid-cycling bipolar disorder in ten countries (n = 54 257).

The 12-month prevalence of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder was 0.3%. Roughly a third and two-fifths of participants with lifetime and 12-month bipolar disorder respectively met criteria for rapid cycling. Compared with the non-rapid-cycling, rapid-cycling bipolar disorder was associated with younger age at onset, higher persistence, more severe depressive symptoms, greater impairment from depressive symptoms, more out-of-role days from mania/hypomania, more anxiety disorders and an increased likelihood of using health services. Associations regarding childhood, family and other sociodemographic correlates were less clear cut.

The community epidemiological profile of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder confirms most but not all current clinically based knowledge about the illness.

The value of drug interviews in the treatment of conversion disorder is at present unknown.

To review all the available papers published in English that report on the use of drug interviews for treating conversion/dissociative disorder.

Databases (including EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO) were searched from 1920 to 2009. Selected publications had to report on the use of drug interviews in people diagnosed with a conversion/dissociative disorder. Qualitative and quantitative data were extracted. Predictors of a positive response were ascertained using meta-analytic techniques.

Fifty-five papers meeting inclusion criteria were identified. No studies compared the intervention with a suitable control group. However, two studies reported high response rates when drug interview was used in individuals with treatment-resistant conversion disorder. In the meta-analysis, the use of suggestion and occurrence of emotional catharsis during the interview were positively associated with recovery. Combining two medications and comorbid psychiatric disorder were negatively associated with recovery.

The evidence for effectiveness of drug interviews is of poor quality but it may be of benefit in the treatment of acute and treatment-resistant conversion disorder. A proactive approach during the interview, making suggestions the individual will respond, could influence outcome. Comorbid psychiatric disorder should be treated conventionally. Experimental studies to determine efficacy are required.

Polygraphy is used increasingly in the treatment and supervision of sex offenders, but little research has addressed its accuracy in this setting, or linked accuracy with utility.

To investigate the utility and accuracy of polygraphy in post-conviction testing of community-based sex offenders.

A self-report measure examined the experiences of offenders with polygraphy.

Based on self-report, the polygraph's accuracy was approximately 85%. False negatives and false positives were not associated with demographic characteristics, personality variables or IQ. The majority of offenders found the polygraph to be helpful in both treatment and supervision. Nine per cent of offenders claimed to have made false disclosures; these individuals had higher scores on ratings of neuroticism and lower scores on ratings of conscientiousness.

These results support the view that the polygraph is both accurate and useful in the treatment and supervision of sex offenders.

Previous reports have suggested an increased prevalence of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) in schizophrenia.

A review of the literature was performed to examine the relationship between MPAs, schizophrenia and other disorders.

Previous studies demonstrate a number of methodological shortcomings. Moreover, MPAs are found in several other psychiatric disorders. Proponents of the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia have focused on an environmental explanation for the increased prevalence of MPAs. We argue that this may be overly simplistic and propose various ways in which genetic factors may also be involved.

Better studies should be performed to examine more precisely the nature of MPAs in schizophrenia and other disorders and also the relationship between MPAs and other developmental abnormalities. At present, it is unclear if MPAs are directly related to the pathogenesis of the disorder or even if they are related to the timing of critical events.

If the established winter excess in births of people who subsequently develop schizophrenia is an effect of ‘seasonality’, this would be testable by examining the pattern of births in an equatorial region with no formal seasons.

To investigate whether there is any variation in month of birth among patients from equatorial Singapore with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

All 9655 patients discharged from Singapore's national psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were included (year of birth range 1930–1984). We analysed aggregated data, as well as the data of subsamples grouped according to birth-year periods, in order to examine secular trends. One patient subsample (those born 1960–84) allowed exact matching againstthe general population data set and close testing of any seasonal influence.

Monthly variation in births was evident for both patients and controls; the patterns were very similar, apart from the patient sample showing a trough in March–April.

In an equatorial region, where ‘seasons’ are absent, no seasonal excess in births of those later developing schizophrenia was evident.

Previous studies have shown higher rates of psychiatric admissions, compulsory admissions, and diagnosed schizophrenia in Black ethnic groups compared with other population groups.

In a point-prevalence study, demographic and clinical data were collected for adult acute and low-level secure psychiatric in-patients in all National Health Service and seven private psychiatric units in North and South Thames regions on 15 June 1994

A total of 3710 adult acute and 268 low-level secure psychiatric patients were surveyed; 75% of the patients were White, 16% were Black, and 4% were Asian. Analysis reveals that a high proportion of the Black population were admitted to a psychiatric unit; that Black patients are more likely to be admitted under Section; to be located in locked wards; have an inpatient diagnosis of schizophrenia; and not be registered with a general practitioner.

These findings demonstrate the over-representation of Black ethnic groups within current psychiatric provision. The complement of services to all minority ethnic groups should be examined in terms of access, appropriateness and quality of care. Racism awareness and staff training need to be incorporated into mental health service provision as a matter of priority.

Little is known about the social and emotional well-being of children whose fathers have been deployed to the conflicts in Iraq/Afghanistan or who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

To examine the emotional and behavioural well-being of children whose fathers are or have been in the UK armed forces, in particular the effects of paternal deployment to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan and paternal PTSD.

Fathers who had taken part in a large tri-service cohort and had children aged 3–16 years were asked about the emotional and behavioural well-being of their child(ren) and assessed for symptoms of PTSD via online questionnaires and telephone interview.

In total, 621 (67%) fathers participated, providing data on 1044 children. Paternal deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan was not associated with childhood emotional and behavioural difficulties. Paternal probable PTSD were associated with child hyperactivity. This finding was limited to boys and those under 11 years of age.

This study showed that adverse childhood emotional and behavioural well-being was not associated with paternal deployment but was associated with paternal probable PTSD.

N.T.F. is a trustee of the Warrior Programme, a charity supporting ex-service personnel and their families. She is also a member of the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD). S.W. is a trustee of Combat Stress, a charity supporting ex-service personnel and their families, and President of the Royal Society of Medicine. S.W. is partially funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Emergency Preparedness and Response at King's College London in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and Newcastle University.