Articles: Volume 20.01 January 2016

The antipsychotic agent clozapine is frequently used in patients with treatment-resistant psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. It is well established that cigarette smoking reduces circulating levels of clozapine, thereby limiting its efficacy. Here, Dr Cooney et al. report the unprecedented step in …

Mental health studies often recruit a low number of participants and Welcome Trust data have shown that less than a third of the trials successfully achieved their recruitment targets within the time frame given. The authors at the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust surveyed community …

Our commentaries from the Primary Care Neurology Society (P-CNS) provide a primary care perspective on the neurology articles in Progress. Here, Dr Calinas Correia considers ‘Depression and pain: the need for a new screening tool’
Depression and pain a complex relationship

There is a strong association between pain and depression, and the presence of pain negatively affects the recognition and treatment of depression. Here, Dr Cocksedge and colleagues’ explore the neurobiology behind this relationship and propose a new screening tool to assess patients with either condition …

There is ongoing debate in the literature as to whether neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and malignant catatonia are distinct clinical entities or illnesses on the same spectrum. Here, Drs Hardy and Evans present a case which puts forward arguments for both sides of the debate …

With our ageing population, the prevalence of dementia is expected to double every decade; global burden of disease is estimated to reach 81.1 million by 2040.
Population-based screening for dementia controversy and current status

The tragic death of an 18 year old while in the care of an NHS Trust in July 2013, has uncovered the Trust’s widespread failure to investigate the unexpected deaths of hundreds of patients with learning disabilities or mental health problems and led to a …