Despite a lack of formal evidence for benefit, the number of people with psychiatric illness cared for in institutional settings has risen significantly. The cost of this type of care is not insignificant and Professor Priebe discusses whether this trend is a good or bad thing.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) has proved to be a very effective treatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sally Worthing‐Davies explains this method of therapy and the advantages of its use in primary care. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Interface Ltd