Coercive treatment comprises a broad range of practices, ranging from implicit or explicit pressure to accept certain treatment to the use of forced practices such as involuntary admission, seclusion and restraint. Coercion is common in mental health services.

To evaluate the strength and credibility of evidence on the efficacy of interventions to reduce coercive treatment in mental health services. Protocol registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/S76T3.

Systematic literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Campbell Collaboration, and Epistemonikos from January 2010 to January 2020 for meta-analyses of randomised studies. Summary effects were recalculated using a common metric and random-effects models. We assessed between-study heterogeneity, predictive intervals, publication bias, small-study effects and whether the results of the observed positive studies were more than expected by chance. On the basis of these calculations, strength of associations was classified using quantitative umbrella review criteria, and credibility of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.

A total of 23 primary studies (19 conducted in European countries and 4 in the USA) enrolling 8554 participants were included. The evidence on the efficacy of staff training to reduce use of restraint was supported by the most robust evidence (relative risk RR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.62–0.87; suggestive association, GRADE: moderate), followed by evidence on the efficacy of shared decision-making interventions to reduce involuntary admissions of adults with severe mental illness (RR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.92; weak association, GRADE: moderate) and by the evidence on integrated care interventions (RR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.46–0.95; weak association, GRADE: low). By contrast, community treatment orders and adherence therapy had no effect on involuntary admission rates.

Different levels of evidence indicate the benefit of staff training, shared decision-making interventions and integrated care interventions to reduce coercive treatment in mental health services. These different levels of evidence should be considered in the development of policy, clinical and implementation initiatives to reduce coercive practices in mental healthcare, and should lead to further studies in both high- and low-income countries to improve the strength and credibility of the evidence base.

Recognising the significant extent of poor-quality care and human rights issues in mental health, the World Health Organization launched the QualityRights initiative in 2013 as a practical tool for implementing human rights standards including the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the ground level.

To describe the first large-scale implementation and evaluation of QualityRights as a scalable human rights-based approach in public mental health services in Gujarat, India.

This is a pragmatic trial involving implementation of QualityRights at six public mental health services chosen by the Government of Gujarat. For comparison, we identified three other public mental health services in Gujarat that did not receive the QualityRights intervention.

Over a 12-month period, the quality of services provided by those services receiving the QualityRights intervention improved significantly. Staff in these services showed substantially improved attitudes towards service users (effect sizes 0.50–0.17), and service users reported feeling significantly more empowered (effect size 0.07) and satisfied with the services offered (effect size 0.09). Caregivers at the intervention services also reported a moderately reduced burden of care (effect size 0.15).

To date, some countries are hesitant to reforming mental health services in line with the CRPD, which is partially attributable to a lack of knowledge and understanding about how this can be achieved. This evaluation shows that QualityRights can be effectively implemented even in resource-constrained settings and has a significant impact on the quality of mental health services.

Psychiatric comorbidities are frequent in patients admitted in general hospital and are associated with greater lengths of stay (LOS). Early consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) interventions may reduce the LOS but previous studies were underpowered to allow subgroup analyses and have generally not considered the severity of the condition for which patients were admitted (‘disease severity’).

To investigate the association between the timing of CLP interventions and LOS in a general hospital.

We retrospectively included 4500 consecutive patients admitted in non-psychiatric wards of a university hospital between 2008 and 2016 who had a first CLP intervention. We used general linear models to examine the association between the referral time, defined as log(days before the consultation)/log(LOS), and log(LOS), adjusting for age, gender, year of admission, place of residence, main psychiatric diagnosis, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), main physical condition and disease severity.

Referral time was associated with log(LOS) (β = 0.31; P <0.001), notably for older patients (β = 0.43; P <0.001) and those admitted to the ICU (β = 0.50; P <0.001), but not for those with psychotic disorders (β = −0.20; P = 0.10). The association was confirmed when considering the expected LOS for each patient. For instance, for an expected LOS of 10 days, a CLP intervention on day 3 compared with day 6 was associated with a reduction of the actual LOS of 2.4 days.

Earlier CLP interventions were associated with a clinically significant shorter LOS in a large population even after adjusting for disease severity. Early CLP interventions may have benefits for both patients and health-related costs.

Homicide rates have fallen markedly in the UK over the past decade. There has been little research on whether homicides by people with mental disorder have contributed to this downward trend. Furthermore, there is limited information on trends in court outcomes for people with mental disorder who commit homicide.

To examine trends in general population homicide and homicide by people with mental disorder, and to explore court outcome.

We conducted a national, consecutive case series of homicide in England and Wales (1997–2015). Data were received from the Home Office Statistics Unit of Home Office Science. Clinical information was obtained from psychiatric reports and mental health services.

There has been a fall in the homicide rate in England and Wales since 2008. Despite this, the relative contribution of mental disorder as a proportion of all homicide has increased. Our findings also showed the inappropriate management of people with serious mental illness convicted of homicide. Of those who committed homicide and were diagnosed with schizophrenia, a third were imprisoned, and there was a marked fall in hospital order referrals. We found this to be linked to substance misuse comorbidity.

The proportional increase in homicide by people with schizophrenia suggests more complex factors may be driving rates, such as substance misuse. Addressing substance misuse comorbidity and maintaining engagement with services may help prevent patient homicide. Despite their complex needs, people with serious mental illness continue to be imprisoned. Improvements in assessment and the timely transfer of prisoners to health services are required.

During a psychotic episode, patients frequently suffer from severe maladaptive beliefs known as delusions. Despite the abundant literature investigating the simple presence or absence of these beliefs, there exists little detailed knowledge regarding their actual content and severity at the onset of illness.

This study reports on delusions during the initiation of indicated treatment for first-episode psychosis (FEP).

Data were systematically collected from a sample of 636 patients entering a catchment-based early intervention service for FEP. The average severity and frequency of each delusional theme at baseline was reported with the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms. Delusional severity (globally and per theme) was examined across a number of sociodemographic and clinical variables.

Delusions were present in the vast majority of individuals experiencing onset of FEP (94%), with persecutory (77.7%) being the most common theme. Persecutory delusions remained consistent in severity across diagnoses, but were more severe with older age at onset of FEP. No meaningful differences in delusional severity were observed across gender, affective versus non-affective psychosis, or presence/absence of substance use disorder. Globally, delusion severity was associated with anxiety, but not depression. Delusions commonly referred to as passivity experiences were related to hallucinatory experiences.

This community sample offers a rare clinical lens into the severity and content of delusions in FEP. Although delusional severity was consistent across certain sociodemographic and clinical variables, this was not always the case. Future research should now consider the course of delusion themes over time.

Discrepancies between the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) schizophrenia guideline recommendations and current clinical practice in the UK have been reported.

We aim to assess whether it is cost-effective to improve adherence to the NICE schizophrenia guideline recommendations, compared with current practice.

A previously developed whole-disease model for schizophrenia, using the discrete event simulation method, was adapted to assess the cost and health impacts of adherence to the NICE recommendations. Three scenarios to improve adherence to the clinical guidelines were modelled: universal provision of cognitive–behavioural therapy for patients at clinical high risk of psychosis, universal provision of family intervention for patients with first-episode psychosis and prompt provision of clozapine for patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The primary outcomes were lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life-years gained.

The results suggest full adherence to the guideline recommendations would decrease cost and improve quality-adjusted life-years. Based on the NICE willingness-to-pay threshold of £20 000–£30 000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, prompt provision of clozapine for patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia results in the greatest net monetary benefit, followed by universal provision of cognitive–behavioural therapy for patients at clinical high risk of psychosis, and universal provision of family intervention for patients with first-episode psychosis.

Our results suggest that adherence to guideline recommendations would decrease cost and improve quality-adjusted life-years. Greater investment is needed to improve guideline adherence and therefore improve patient quality of life and realise potential cost savings.