An episode of postpartum psychosis can be devastating for a woman and her family, and it is vital we understand the factors involved in the aetiology of this condition. Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption is a plausible candidate but further research is needed that builds on the latest advances in chronobiology and neuroscience.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) regulations, the criteria used to select patients into registration studies should be addressed in a product's label. The FDA's labelling guidelines, which specifically indicate that the routine exclusion of patients of a certain level of severity should be noted in the label, has been uniformly ignored.

There is a growing research interest in childhood hallucinations as predictors of psychotic states. This work appears to have limited direct relevance for clinical child psychiatric practice, but it highlights the continuing relevance of research into precursors of psychotic states and into the determinants of clinically relevant hallucinations in children.

The problem of adverse effects of psychotherapy has been recognised for decades, yet research on causes and prevention of harm has failed to progress. There is confusion between different definitions and a lack of systematic recording and reporting. A new framework for moving this field forward is proposed.

Radical proposals are being made to change the practice, teaching and research basis of psychiatry to that of clinical neuroscience. Such changes would affect practice via what is studied, published, recommended as standard treatment and what is decided in medico-legal forums. These proposed changes are very premature and misguided. Here, I refute these proposals.

The Munro Review of Child Protection approached the problem of child protection from an understanding based upon systems analysis. Risk assessment in psychiatry has similarities to the assessment by social workers of child protection issues. Psychiatry as a profession could learn from the Review, and, in doing so, be supported in recovering and communicating the requirements for good clinical practice.

Closing long-stay psychiatric beds remains contentious. The review by Winkler et al in this issue examines 23 studies of deinstitutionalisation for the outcomes of people discharged from psychiatric hospitals after an admission of 1 year or longer. The majority of these studies identified no cases of homelessness, incarceration or suicide after discharge from hospital.

Eating disorders, once thought to be largely confined to females, are increasingly common in males. However, the presentation of disordered eating among males is often distinct to that observed in females and this diversity is not accommodated in current classification schemes. Here, we consider the diagnostic and clinical challenges presented by these distinctive presentations.

The archetypal professor of the 20th century is a dying breed, and now ‘the Prof’ truly occupies emeritus status. This article seeks to remember the Profs with fondness and consider some of the processes that led to their extinction.

Language dictates how individuals process and understand concepts. This phenomenon is examined for the terms ‘antipsychotic’ and ‘antidepressant’. When the use of medications is extended in new directions (for example when an antipsychotic is used as an antidepressant), the name not only loses its utility, but may become an obstacle to treatment. Clinicians need to be aware of these issues.