The epidemiology of mental problems in the Gomel region in the republic of Belarus was studied in a two-stage survey of a broad based population sample (N = 1617), using the General Health Questionnaire (12-item version) and the Munich Diagnostic Checklist for DSM-III-R. The Gomel region is one of the areas that was most severely affected by the Chernobyl nuclear diaster in 1986. In the studied population sample 64·8% had a GHQ-score above the threshold of 2. A DSM-III-R psychiatric disorder was present in 35·8%, with especially high rates for affective (16·5%) and anxiety disorders (12·6%). Dysthymia, general anxiety disorder, adjustment disorders and ‘not otherwise specified syndromes’ made up almost two-thirds of the observed morbidity (22·9%). A higher prevalence of mental health problems, both in terms of the GHQ and the DSM-III-R was observed among people who have been evacuated and in mothers with children under 18 years of age. These data indicate that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster may be partly responsible for the high prevalence of (milder) psychiatric disorders and psychological distress in the Gomel region, even 6 years after the event. Future studies comparing the data from Gomel region with an unexposed area will have to provide a more definite answer concerning the impact of this nuclear disaster on mental health.

Fasting plasma levels of tryptophan, kynurenine and the pteridines, neopterin and tetrahydrobiopterin were measured in seven patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) and 10 healthy controls. Plasma kynurenine was significantly elevated in the GTS patients. The lowest patient value was higher than the highest control value. Values for tryptophan, neopterin and tetrahydrobiopterin were similar in TS patients and controls. However, in TS patients only, there was a significant negative correlation between tryptophan and neopterin and a significant positive correlation between kynurenine and neopterin when controlling for tryptophan. This finding indicates that activation of cellular immune processes is a possible explanation for the rise in plasma kynurenine.

Anderson et al. (1993) presented two models of psychiatric morbidity that they claimed represented ‘individual’-based and ‘community’-based explanations. They used data from the Health and Lifestyle Survey to test the models and concluded that the data support a ‘community’-based explanation. Their deductions from the models appear to be flawed, nevertheless, their conclusion may be valid.

To evaluate whether a time pattern exists in the occurrence of suicide, 223 cases observed in Ferrara, Italy, over a 10-year period were considered. The determination of the hour of suicide was precise in 99 cases, presumptive (within a range of 1 hour) in 53, while for another 44 cases it was possible to define a probable time of suicide, grouping into four 6-hour periods (night, morning, afternoon, and evening). The remaining 27 cases were excluded as it was impossible to determine the time reliably. The data were analysed both by means of χ2 test for goodness-of-fit and by single cosinor. A specific pattern, characterized by a significant peak in the late morning – early afternoon hours was found for the entire sample and sex subgroups.

Maier, M.,Ron, M. A., Barker, G. J. & Tofts, P. S. (1995). Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy: an in vivo method of estimating hippocampal neuronal depletion in schizophrenia. Psychological Medicine 25, 1201–1209. On page 1202, right-hand column, line 7 ‘Nasrallah et al. 1992’ should read ‘Nasrallah et al. 1991’ and the reference should be: Nasrallah, H. A., Skinner, T. S., Schmalbrock, P., O'Bringer, A. & Robitaille, P. M. L. (1991). In vivo H NMR spectroscopy of the hippocampus in schizophrenia. Abstracts of the Society for Neuroscience 21st Annual Meeting 17, 1455.