Objective – To review recent literature documenting how family, twin and molecular genetic studies of eating disorders have revolutionized our conceptualizations of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Methods – We summarized extant litera-ture on genetic epidemiology of eating disorders. Results – Results of extant studies highlight the underlying biological vulnera- bilities associated with these conditions. Genetic research has also opened up new avenues and approaches for exploring how the environment exerts its influence on risk. Conclusions – We discuss state-of-the-science findings in the genetics of eating disorders, explore various mechanisms of gene-environment interplay, and discuss implications of this research for science, practice, families and individuals with eating disorders.

Objective – The nature of the link between cannabis use and psychosis remains to be clarified. Method – The paper reviews the evidence suggesting that cannabis may be a risk factor for psychosis onset. Results – Cross-sectional and retro- spective epidemiological studies show that individuals with psychosis use cannabis more often than other individuals in the gener- al population. It has long been considered that this association is explained by the self-medication hypothesis, postulating that cannabis is used to self-medicate psychotic symptoms. This hypothesis has been recently challenged by several prospective stud- ies carried out in population-based samples, showing that cannabis exposure is associated with an increased risk of psychosis, pos- sibly by interacting with a pre-existing vulnerability for these disorders. A dose-response relationship was found between cannabis exposure and risk of psychosis, and this association was independent from potential confounding factors such as exposure to other drugs and pre-existence of psychotic symptoms. However, the diagnostic specificity is weak, as cannabis exposure may be a risk factor for the occurrence of a large spectrum of psychiatric disorders, ranging from schizophrenia to mood and anxiety disorders. Conclusion – Considering the growing number of adolescents exposed to cannabis, the impact of this substance on the population mental health should be further explored.

Aims – To describe the health status, resource consumption and costs of patients with dysthymic disorder in the Italian primary care setting. Methods – A total of 79 general practitioners (GPs) participated the study. Diagnosis was based on each GP's clinical assessment. At entry the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used as a supporting diag- nostic aid. Health status was measured with the SF-36 questionnaire. Resource consumption and costs regarded the six months before enrolment. Results – Out of 598 patients enrolled by GPs according to their clinical assessment, 503 fulfilled the MINI cri- teria and 95 did not. The latter had a better perception of their health than the former. Resource consumption was similar in the two groups; and the total per patient six-month costs did not differ significantly. Conclusions – The study confirms there may be a gap between standardised criteria for defining dysthymia and everyday clinical practice. All dysthymic patients diagnosed by GPs might be considered together from a health policy perspective.

Declaration of Interest: this research was partly supported by a contribution from Sanofi-Synthelabo Italy.

Aims – To compare different accreditation categories in Italy and to suggest some criteria to assess them. Methods – The A. compare specific characteristics of different model of normative and professional accreditation and suggest some criteria to distinguish different type of accreditation programme and to assess quality and usefulness of an accreditation programme. Results and Conclusions – Different types of accreditation are attributed to some basic criteria: voluntary/by law, high/low stan- dard, assessment object. Criteria to assess the usefulness are: check list accuracy, support to quality improvement, documental bur- den, services impact.