Overweight and obesity are growing health concerns globally. Technological advances drive interest in smartphone applications as possible health behaviour interventions to promote lifestyle change in these conditions. This article critically appraises a Cochrane Review of 18 studies (2703 participants) of smartphone app interventions for overweight or obesity in adolescents and adults and considers its relevance to clinical practice and research. The review's results suggest that there may be minimal benefit to the use of smartphone apps, but the evidence is very uncertain, lacking high-quality, replicable studies.

This article discusses sceptical arguments about measurement scales. Measurement scales are part of a promising agenda of openness, transparency and patient and public involvement (PPI) in medical research, but have received critical, sometimes hostile attention from anthropologists. This is because scales repackage localised cultural assumptions about distress as something universal and pan-human and have the capacity to reshape people's interior lives in unhelpful, possibly harmful ways. We take as an example the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Use of the PHQ-9 is currently mandated by major funders. But its history suggests flawed PPI and a lack of openness. The article suggests a constructive role for anthropology in mental health research, using ethnographic evidence and theory to show how, although they have their uses, mental health scales should not be regarded as inert or harmless.

E-mental health tools are a promising solution to reducing the high prevalence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and addressing barriers faced by women seeking professional help. This article summarises the main e-health tools used in perinatal mental healthcare, including examples of evidence-based tools for assessment, prevention and treatment of such disorders. We also highlight the main characteristics of the development process of e-mental health tools, which are based on cognitive–behavioural therapy, as well as the ethical concerns to be considered with their use and integration in healthcare systems.

Until recently, statistical consultants did not have to worry about being replaced by artificial intelligence. There was no statistical analogue to ‘Dr Google’ before ChatGPT arrived on the scene. Although ChatGPT (most of the time) adequately responds to basic queries such as the assumptions of different statistical tests or summarises relevant manuals on statistical software providing clear instructions with point-and-click software such as SPSS, there are many important aspects of statistical consulting that ChatGPT does not cover. This tutorial article is about these aspects: a summary of what statistical consulting is, its purpose and possible settings during the empirical research cycle, the role and responsibilities of the consultant and the client, how to ensure a good consulting experience, how to prepare for a consulting session, typical questions and more. The article was written for researchers who are considering contacting a statistician for the first time and aims to facilitate a good and fruitful consulting experience for all parties involved.

When admitting patients to hospital and treating them, psychiatrists and other health professionals may need to deprive them of their liberty. Where this occurs, professionals will need to work within a statutory framework to practice legally and protect their patients’ right to liberty under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Within England and Wales, some clinical scenarios will require a choice to be made between the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and its Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This choice can be complex, is often overlooked and frequently misunderstood in clinical practice. Deciding between the two frameworks must be done on a case-specific basis. With the use of code of practice guidelines, case law and an unfolding clinical scenario we aim in this article to support clinicians in taking a clear-sighted approach to the dilemma and the factors to consider when deciding between the two regimes.

Clozapine is the only evidence-based intervention for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. One of the drug's most well-known and potentially fatal adverse effects is agranulocytosis (severe neutropenia). Hence, regular blood tests are an essential component of clozapine treatment. This article presents a narrative review of the history, incidence, potential aetiology and management of clozapine-associated neutropenia. It gives an overview of clozapine monitoring requirements, including those for benign ethnic neutropenia. We point to the growing body of evidence that the risk of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis is mostly confined to the first year of treatment and that the risk of fatality is considerably lower than previously assumed. Given the absence of alternative evidence-based interventions for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, we suggest that rechallenging with clozapine should be considered in most patients with clozapine-associated mild to moderate neutropenia who do not respond to other treatments. A more careful risk–benefit analysis is needed in cases of severe neutropenia (agranulocytosis).

Essays on Partial Derangement of the Mind in Supposed Connection with Religion, written amidst the illness of its author almost two centuries ago, was the little-known work of a distinguished physician. Seeking to rebut the argument that religion is causative of ‘derangement of the mind’ it takes a surprisingly biological view of such conditions while, at the same time, affirming the importance of faith, hope and love in human well-being. Despite its limitations, it makes observations that remain relevant to debates about religion and psychiatry today.