. The First Key Symposium was held in Stockholm, Sweden, 2–5 September 2003. The aim of the symposium was to integrate clinical and epidemiological perspectives on the topic of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). A multidisciplinary, international group of experts discussed the current status and future directions of MCI, with regard to clinical presentation, cognitive and functional assessment, and the role of neuroimaging, biomarkers and genetics. Agreement on new perspectives, as well as recommendations for management and future research were discussed by the international working group. The specific recommendations for the general MCI criteria include the following: (i) the person is neither normal nor demented; (ii) there is evidence of cognitive deterioration shown by either objectively measured decline over time and/or subjective report of decline by self and/or informant in conjunction with objective cognitive deficits; and (iii) activities of daily living are preserved and complex instrumental functions are either intact or minimally impaired.

We believe that the detailed estimates in this paper constitute the best currently available basis for policymaking, planning, and allocation of health and welfare resources.

For major physical diseases, it is widely accepted that members of the public will benefit by knowing what actions they can take for prevention, early intervention, and treatment. However, this type of public knowledge about mental disorders (mental health literacy) has received much less attention. There is evidence from surveys in several countries for deficiencies in (a) the public's knowledge of how to prevent mental disorders, (b) recognition of when a disorder is developing, (c) knowledge of help-seeking options and treatments available, (d) knowledge of effective self-help strategies for milder problems, and (e) first aid skills to support others affected by mental health problems. Nevertheless, there is evidence that a range of interventions can improve mental health literacy, including whole-of-community campaigns, interventions in educational settings, Mental Health First Aid training, and information websites. There is also evidence for historical improvements in mental health literacy in some countries. Increasing the community's mental health literacy needs to be a focus for national policy and population monitoring so that the whole community is empowered to take action for better mental health.

SynopsisData from four studies were used to assess the psychometric properties of the 26 IQCODE items. The items were assessed in terms of item–total correlations, test–retest reliabilities, correlations with indicators of current cognitive functioning and correlations with indicators of pre-morbid cognitive functioning. These data were used to develop a 16-item short form. The short form was cross-validated in a new sample using dementia/delirium diagnosis as the validity standard. It was found to perform as well as the long form.

The internet warrants further investigation as a means of delivering stigma reduction programmes for depression.

Data from studies of dementia prevalence between 1945 to 1985 were analyzed statistically. Prevalence rates were found to vary as a function of methodological differences between studies. However, despite these differences, the relationship between prevalence and age was found to be consistent across studies, with rates doubling every 5.1 years. Across studies, Alzheimer's disease (AD) was found to be more common in women, with a tendency for multi-infarct dementia (MID) to be more common in men. There were also national differences in the relative prevalence of AD and MID, with MID being more common in Japanese and Russian studies, no difference in Finnish and American studies, and an excess of AD in other Western European countries.

Background and aims: The IQCODE is widely used as a screening test for dementia, particularly where the subject is unable to undergo direct cognitive testing or for screening in populations with low levels of education and literacy. This review draws together research on the psychometric properties and validity of the IQCODE.Method: A systematic search of the literature was carried out using three databases.Results: The review shows that the questionnaire has high reliability and measures a single general factor of cognitive decline. It validly reflects past cognitive decline, performs at least as well at screening as conventional cognitive screening tests, predicts incident dementia, and correlates with a wide range of cognitive tests. A particular strength is that the IQCODE is relatively unaffected by education and pre-morbid ability or by proficiency in the culture's dominant language. The disadvantage of the IQCODE is that it is affected by informant characteristics such as depression and anxiety in the informant and the quality of the relationship between the informant and the subject.Conclusions: Because the IQCODE provides information complementary to brief cognitive tests, harnessing them together can improve screening accuracy.

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