A recent meta-analysis of antipsychotic drug treatment for people with ‘treatment refractory schizophrenia’ suggests clozapine may not be better than other antipsychotics. Clozapine has been the mainstay of treatment for this group since a landmark study by American psychiatrist, John Kane, in 1988 found it to be substantially superior to the old antipsychotic chlorpromazine. Subsequent

Suicides in the Unites States have reached a 30-year high. The steepest rise is in the middle-aged. The rate of suicide in women rose more than in men, but male suicides are still more than three times as common as female suicides. Suicide by firearms was still the most common cause. The Guardian 22/04/16

A recent spot check by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that Southern Health NHS Mental Health Trust, previously criticised for its inadequate investigations of serious incidents and deaths in care, still lacks robust safety procedures and procedures for managing complaints. The Health Trust’s chairman resigned just before the CQC report was published. The Guardian