To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-episode psychosis (FEP) presentations across two Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services in Ireland, by comparing pre-pandemic and post-pandemic cohorts.

A cross-sectional observational design with retrospective medical record review was employed. The study population comprised 187 FEP patients (77 in pre-pandemic and 110 in post-pandemic cohort). Outcomes measured included duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), FEP presentation numbers, referral sources, global assessment of functioning scores, inpatient admissions, substance misuse and service delivery methods. Statistical analyses utilised chi-square tests to assess categorical variables, Mann–Whitney U tests to compare non-normally distributed continuous variables and Kruskal–Wallis tests to examine interactions between categorical and continuous variables.

A significant increase in FEP presentations was observed in the post-pandemic cohort (p = 0.003), with an increase in all urban areas and a decrease in the study’s only rural area. The difference in DUP between cohorts was not significant. However, significant interaction between gender, cohort and DUP was shown (p = 0.008), with women in the post-pandemic cohort experiencing longer DUP (p = 0.01). A significant rise in telephone (p = 0.05) and video consultations (p = 0.001) offered was observed, in the post-pandemic cohort. A similar number of in-person appointments were attended across both cohorts.

This study highlights the impact of the pandemic on FEP presentations, particularly rurally and regarding increased DUP among women. These findings underscore the need for flexible EIP services to respond to public health crises. Despite increased presentations, services adapted, maintaining service continuity through telehealth and modified in-person contact.

Discipline is a crucial aspect of parenting, shaping child development and behaviour. Time-out, a widely used disciplinary strategy with a strong evidence-base, has recently come under scrutiny with concerns about potential adverse effects on children's emotional development and attachment, particularly for those with a history of adversity.

To contribute critical empirical insights to the current controversy surrounding time-out by exploring the associations among time-out implementation, parent–child attachment and child mental health, and whether adversity exposure moderated these associations.

This cross-sectional study utilised a nationally representative sample of 474 primary caregivers in Australia, with children aged 6–8 years, who completed an online survey. Measures included the Implementation of Time-out Scale, Adverse Life Experiences Scale, Primary Attachment Style Questionnaire, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Spence Child Anxiety Scale.

Appropriately implemented time-out was associated with enhanced mental health and attachment, while inappropriate time-out correlated with adverse child outcomes. Exposure to adversity moderated the relationship between time-out implementation and child well-being, such that children exposed to adversity were most likely to experience attachment enhancement from appropriately implemented time-out.

Despite recent concerns of harm caused by time-out, particularly for children with a history of adversity, findings support the beneficial impact of time-out on child well-being and attachment when implemented in accordance with evidence-based parameters. Combatting misinformation and disseminating evidence-based time-out guidelines is crucial for promoting child well-being and attachment, especially for children who have experienced adversity.

The clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-p) syndrome enables early identification of individuals at risk of schizophrenia and related disorders. We differentiate between the stigma associated with the at-risk identification itself (‘labelling-related’ stigma) versus stigma attributed to experiencing mental health symptoms (‘symptom-related’ stigma) and examine their relationships with key psychosocial variables.

We compare labelling- and symptom-related stigma in rates of endorsement and associations with self-esteem, social support loss and quality of life.

We assessed stigma domains of shame-related emotions, secrecy and experienced discrimination for both types of stigma. Individuals at CHR-p were recruited across three sites (N = 150); primary analyses included those who endorsed awareness of psychosis risk (n = 113). Paired-sample t-tests examined differences in labelling- versus symptom-related stigma; regressions examined associations with psychosocial variables, controlling for covariates, including CHR-p symptoms.

Respondents reported greater symptom-related shame, but more labelling-related secrecy. Of the nine significant associations between stigma and psychosocial variables, eight were attributable to symptom-related stigma, even after adjusting for CHR-p symptoms.

Stigma attributed to symptoms had a stronger negative association with psychosocial variables than did labelling-related stigma among individuals recently identified as CHR-p. That secrecy related to the CHR-p designation was greater than its symptom-related counterpart suggests that labelling-related stigma may still be problematic for some CHR-p participants. To optimise this pivotal early intervention effort, interventions should address the holistic ‘stigmatising experience’ of having symptoms, namely any harmful reactions received as well as participants’ socially influenced concerns about what their experiences mean, in addition to the symptoms themselves.

A collaborative evaluation of remote consultations in mental health services was undertaken by mental health service providers, experts by experience, academic institutions and a Health Innovation Network in south London, UK. ‘Learning healthcare systems’ thinking was applied. Workstream 1 reviewed international published evidence; workstream 2 synthesised findings from three health provider surveys of the perceptions and experiences of staff, patients and carers; and workstream 3 comprised an electronic survey on local projects.

Remote consultations can be acceptable to patients and staff. They improve access for some while restricting access for others, with digital exclusion being a key concern. Providing tailored choice is key.

The collaboration generated learning to inform choices by healthcare providers to embed or adapt remote delivery. A key output was freely downloadable survey questions for assessing the quantity and quality of appointments undertaken by phone or video or face to face.

Achieving equitable healthcare access is a global challenge. Improving whole-population mental health and reducing the global burden of mental disorders is a key recommendation of the 2018 Lancet Global Mental Health Commission, which proposed monitoring national indicators, including the proportion of people with severe mental disorders who are service-users. This study aims to derive an equity indicator from national datasets integrating need, service utilisation and socioeconomic status, and demonstrate its utility in identifying gaps in mental health service use amongst those with the greatest need, thereby guiding equitable healthcare delivery.

We present a case study of a universal health insurance scheme (Medicare) in Australia. We developed the equity indicator using three national datasets. Geographic areas were linked to an area-based socioeconomic deprivation quintile (Census 2016). Per geographic area, we estimated the number with a mental healthcare need using scores ≥30 on the Kessler-10 (Australian National Health Surveys 2015 and 2018), and obtained the number of services used, defined as mental health-related contacts with general practitioners and mental health professionals (Medicare administrative data 2015–2019). We divided the number of services by the population with an estimated mental healthcare need and averaged these use-rates across each socioeconomic deprivation quintile. The equity indicator is the ratio of the use-rates in the least versus most deprived quintiles.

Those estimated to have the greatest need for mental healthcare in 2019 ranged between 8.2% in the most disadvantaged area quintile (Q1) and 2.4% in the least (Q5), corresponding to a proportional increase of 27.7% in Q1 and 19.5% in Q5 since 2015. Equity-indicator-adjusted service rates of 4.2 (3.8–4.6) and 23.9 (22.4–25.4) showed that individuals with the highest need for care residing in Q1 areas received a stark 6 times fewer services compared to their Q5 counterparts, producing an equity indicator of 6.

As the global prevalence of common mental disorders may be increasing, it is crucial to calculate robust indicators evaluating the equity of mental health service use. In this Australian case study, we developed an equity indicator enabling the direct comparison of geographic areas with different need profiles. The results revealed striking inequities that persisted despite publicly-funded universal healthcare, recent service reforms and being a high-income country. This study demonstrates the importance and feasibility of generating such an indicator to inform and empower communities, healthcare providers and policymakers to pursue equitable service provision.

Child and adolescent mental health service in-patient beds are unevenly spread throughout England. Where demand outstrips bed availability, young people may be admitted at-distance or to adult psychiatric wards. The COVID-19 pandemic added pressures to already overstretched services. Understanding experiences during this period is vital to inform strategies for future emergencies.

To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions to local, at-distance or adult psychiatric units, from the perspectives of young people, parents/carers and healthcare professionals.

Multi-methods data were collected from February 2021 to September 2022, as part of the Far Away from Home research programme. A 13-month national surveillance study collected information about admissions to general adolescent units >50 miles from home, out-of-region or to adult psychiatric units. Free-text data from respondents (n = 51) were analysed using content analysis. Interviews with young people (n = 30), parents/carers (n = 21) and healthcare professionals (n = 68) were analysed using thematic analysis.

Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic affected young people's contact with others; the requirement to self-isolate on admission and following overnight leave felt distressing, and visiting was limited. This disincentivised overnight leave, leading to some discharges being delayed and others feeling rushed and high risk. The COVID-19 pandemic also accelerated the introduction of virtual meetings, enabling community teams and families to be more involved in therapies, meetings and decision-making.

Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic were often negatively perceived. However, the increased use of technology was felt to be positive, widening inclusion and mitigating some negative effects of distance on admissions.

Medications are commonly used to treat co-occurring psychopathology in persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD)

To systematically review and integrate the evidence of medications for treatment of co-occurring psychopathology in people with BPD, and explore the role of comorbidities.

Building on the current Cochrane review of medications in BPD, an update literature search was done in March 2024. We followed the methods of this Cochrane review, but scrutinised all identified placebo-controlled trials post hoc for reporting of non BPD-specific (‘co-occurring’) psychopathology, and explored treatment effects in subgroups of samples with and without defined co-occurring disorders. GRADE ratings were done to assess the evidence certainty.

Twenty-two trials were available for quantitative analyses. For antipsychotics, we found very-low-certainty evidence (VLCE) of an effect on depressive symptoms (standardised mean difference (SMD) −0.22, P = 0.04), and low-certainty evidence (LCE) of an effect on psychotic–dissociative symptoms (SMD −0.28, P = 0.007). There was evidence of effects of anticonvulsants on depressive (SMD −0.44, P = 0.02; LCE) and anxious symptoms (SMD −1.11, P < 0.00001; VLCE). For antidepressants, no significant findings were observed (VLCE). Exploratory subgroup analyses indicated a greater effect of antipsychotics in samples including participants with co-occurring substance use disorders on psychotic–dissociative symptoms (P = 0.001).

Our findings, based on VLCE and LCE only, do not support the use of pharmacological interventions in people with BPD to target co-occurring psychopathology. Overall, the current evidence does not support differential treatment effects in persons with versus without defined comorbidities. Medications should be used cautiously to target co-occurring psychopathology.

Maternity outcomes for women from certain ethnic groups are notably poor, partly owing to their not receiving treatment from services.

To explore barriers to access among Black and south Asian women with perinatal mental health problems who did not access perinatal mental health services and suggestions for improvements, and to map findings on to the perinatal care pathway.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2020 and 2021 in the UK. Data were analysed using the framework method.

Twenty-three women were interviewed, and various barriers were identified, including limited awareness of services, fear of child removal, stigma and unresponsiveness of perinatal mental health services. Whereas most barriers were related to access, fear of child removal, remote appointments and mask-wearing during COVID-19 affected the whole pathway. Recommendations include service promotion, screening and enhanced cultural understanding.

Women in this study, an underrepresented population in published literature, face societal, cultural, organisational and individual barriers that affect different aspects of the perinatal pathway.

Domestic abuse is a significant risk factor for self-harm and suicide. A large proportion of people presenting to healthcare services following self-harm have experienced domestic abuse. In the UK, routine enquiry for domestic abuse is recommended for people who present having self-harmed, but evidence indicates that this is not happening.

An exploratory qualitative study to explore liaison psychiatry staff experiences of asking about domestic abuse, including the barriers and challenges to asking.

Semi-structured qualitative interviews with active adult liaison psychiatry staff in the UK. Recruitment was via online platforms and professional networks. A reflexive thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out.

Fifteen participants were interviewed across a variety of disciplines (ten nurses, four doctors, one social worker). The generated themes include the following: asking about domestic abuse – the tension between knowing and doing; ‘delving deeper’ and the fear of making things worse; the entanglement of shame, blame and despondency; domestic abuse was different from other clinical problems (mental illness/substance misuse); and biases, myths and misassumptions guiding practice. Participants indicated the need for better training and education, and clear protocols for eliciting and acting on disclosures.

There is a clear need to improve the support offered to victim-survivors of domestic abuse who self-harm and present to healthcare services. National implementation of education and training to better equip liaison psychiatry teams with the skills and knowledge to sensitively support victim-survivors of domestic abuse is required.

Research on schizophrenia and life expectancy has mainly focused on premature mortality.

This study investigates factors associated with longevity in patients with schizophrenia receiving long-term care and identifies shared traits among these individuals.

A retrospective cross-sectional study analysing the clinical records of 138 patients with schizophrenia who died between 2015 and 2017 in a psychiatric long-term care facility was conducted. Longevity was defined by life tables drawn from the national health database. Variables were compared between longevity and control groups to determine predictors of longer lifespans. Cluster analysis was employed to identify shared traits among individuals with longevity. Causes of death by age were compared.

In the long-term care setting, of the 138 participants, 45 were in the longevity group. This group had more males, lower antipsychotic doses, but more mobility issues. Significant predictors of longevity included older age at onset, longer length of stay, lower activities of daily living scores and a hypertension diagnosis. Cluster analysis revealed two patterns, suggesting that poorer health indicators did not necessarily lead to shorter lives. Fatalities caused by pneumonia were associated with a higher age, compared to those from cancer and choking.

Addressing modifiable risk factors enhances life expectancy in patients with schizophrenia, especially for males, while the age at onset may play a significant role. An integrated long-term care model with close monitoring and timely provision of mental and general healthcare may help extend lifespans. Further research is needed to balance long-term residential care and community-based care for elderly patients with schizophrenia.

People with severe mental illness (SMI) have worse physical health than the general population. There is evidence that support from volunteers can help the mental health of people with SMI, but little evidence regarding the support they can give for physical health.

To evaluate the feasibility of an intervention where volunteer ‘Health Champions’ support people with SMI in managing their physical health.

A feasibility hybrid randomised controlled trial conducted in mental health teams with people with SMI. Volunteers delivered the Health Champions intervention. We collected data on the feasibility of delivering the intervention, and clinical and cost-effectiveness. Participants were randomised by a statistician independent of the research team, to either having a Health Champion or treatment as usual. Blinding was not done.

We recruited 48 participants: 27 to the intervention group and 21 to the control group. Data were analysed for 34 participants. No changes were found in clinical effectiveness for either group. Implementation outcomes measures showed high acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness, but with low response rates. No adverse events were identified in either group. Interviews with participants found they identified changes they had made to their physical health. The cost of implementing the intervention was £312 per participant.

The Health Champion intervention was feasible to implement, but the implementation of the study measures was problematic. Participants found the intervention acceptable, feasible and appropriate, and it led them to make changes in their physical health. A larger trial is recommended, with tailored implementation outcome measures.

Personal independence payment (PIP) is a benefit that covers additional daily living costs people may incur from a long-term health condition or disability. Little is known about PIP receipt and associated factors among people who access mental health services, and trends over time. Individual-level data linking healthcare records with administrative records on benefits receipt have been non-existent in the UK.

To explore how PIP receipt varies over time, including PIP type, and its association with sociodemographic and diagnostic patient characteristics among people who access mental health services.

A data-set was established by linking electronic mental health records from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust with administrative records from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Of 143 714 working-age patients, 37 120 (25.8%) had received PIP between 2013 and 2019, with PIP receipt steadily increasing over time. Two in three patients (63.2%) had received both the daily living and mobility component. PIP receipt increased with age. Those in more deprived areas were more likely to receive PIP. The likelihood of PIP receipt varied by ethnicity. Patients diagnosed with a severe mental illness had 1.48 odds (95% CI 1.42–1.53) of having received PIP, compared with those with a different psychiatric diagnosis.

One in four people who accessed mental health services had received PIP, with higher levels seen among those most likely in need, as indicated by a severe mental illness diagnosis. Future research using this data-set could explore the average duration of PIP receipt in people who access mental health services, and re-assessment patterns by psychiatric diagnosis.