When I was appointed to my consultant post nearly 10 years ago I was one of several able candidates. This was the culmination of many years' hard work and I was proud to be working at an inner-city teaching hospital, one where I had trained as a medical student. This was probably the last time that my department was fully staffed, with each year since bringing more challenges. In recent years only one of the specialist registrars I have trained has continued with general psychiatry, with the attractions of old age, liaison and forensic psychiatry seemingly unassailable. My confidence finally reached rock bottom when a senior house officer announced that she no longer wished to continue in psychiatry because the role models we (consultants) set were unattractive. Apparently the image we project is of long hours, unlimited demands, endless risks and little time to practise the art of psychiatry. With the anniversary of my appointment approaching now it seems appropriate to consider why my hard fought for job has all the attractions of the plague.

One of the best-known aphorisms of Harry Truman, US president at the time the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, was “if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen”. This has a nice euphonious ring to it, but at first sight it seems an odd metaphor to describe an important truth. The problem with Truman's kitchen is that it pre-supposed the wish to be in it. The average man in the US at the time of Harry's utterance, and probably in the UK too, had no particular wish to be in the kitchen. This was the place for women, and indeed, in Lancashire where I was brought up, men were often banned entirely from this part of the house, most particularly when it was on heat. But, nevertheless, Truman had it right by pointing to the kitchen as an important central place in the household.

The MacLean Committee was established in 1999 by the Scottish Office to review and make recommendations concerning the sentencing of serious violent and sexual offenders, including those with personality disorder. It provides an alternative perspective on the problem of offenders with personality disorder to that of the Home Office and Department of Health (1999) for England and Wales.

How many consultants do we need nationally to deliver mental health care? It is a simple question, but it has no simple answer – except that we need substantially more than we have at the moment.

The Collegiate Trainees' Committee (CTC) has been in existence for over 20 years and continues to represent the opinions of trainees in psychiatry within their College and beyond. This article briefly summarises the historical development and current role of the CTC, and outlines the activities of the committee throughout the past year.

We are old age psychiatrists; T.A. based in Britain, J.S. in Australia. A return visit by T.A. to Australia allowed us to focus attention on differences between the two countries in their provision of long-term care for old people with mental disabilities. What works well? What constrains development?

A recent article in the Bulletin (Rees, 2000) suggests that cognitive–analytic therapy (CAT) “may emerge as the preferred form of psychotherapy within the NHS”. I would question Rees' claim that CAT “uses an understandable language and straightforward techniques”. For many patients – and therapists – it is too ridden with jargon and complex diagrams. Moreover, as he admits, “formal CAT training is long [2 years for basic qualification] … this is impractical for most psychiatrists”. In addition, “research has yet to provide a robust evidence base for its effectiveness”. CAT in expert hands is an attractive and powerful model, but does not suit the needs of junior psychiatrists striving to rapidly acquire and integrate broad effective psychotherapeutic techniques. I suggest that another of the ‘newer’ therapies, interpersonal theray (IPT), would fit the bill better.

Palestinian sources estimated the population in 1992 on the West Bank as approaching 1.5 million, and that of Gaza as just under 800 000 (Abdeen & Abu-Libdeh, 1993), with an increase of about 45% anticipated over the next decade (Planning and Research Centre, 1994). Significant numbers of Palestinians also live in surrounding Arab countries, especially Jordan, where they may even be in a majority (Stendel, 1996). About 1 million Israeli Arabs also live within the borders of Israel. The majority of Palestinians are Muslim, but about 6% are Christian (Bin-Talal, 1995).

Training in psychotherapy is a mandatory part of general professional training in psychiatry. The College produced guidelines in 1993 outlining the breadth and depth of training required (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993).

The Royal College of Psychiatrists' Higher Specialist Training Handbook (1998) emphasises the need for training schemes to be well organised in order to provide an environment in which training needs can be met. Training programme directors are tasked to provide “regular meetings with the trainees as a group to discuss the scheme and its placements” as well as “occasional meetings with trainers to discuss the scheme and its further development”.