Patients starting Olz and Cloz tend to have better outcomes at 6 months than patients who start other antipsychotics in actual out-patient clinical practice. The results should be interpreted conservatively because of the non-randomized study design.

Patients treated with olanzapine, quetiapine and clozapine had better tolerability outcomes regarding EPS and sexual related dysfunctions compared with patients receiving risperidone, amisulpride and typicals. Patients treated with olanzapine and clozapine had higher weight increases than patients treated with risperidone, quetiapine and typicals.

The present study aimed to compare health outcomes and tolerability according to antipsychotic medication (olanzapine, risperidone or an oral typical antipsychotic) after 6 months of treatment in a group of 919 schizophrenic patients who had never previously been treated with antipsychotics. Demographic and clinical predictors of outcome were also identified. Data were extracted from the Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study, a prospective, observational study of schizophrenia treatment in 10 European countries. Patients who initiated olanzapine were more likely to have a clinical response than those in the risperidone cohort, and had a greater improvement in quality of life than patients in the risperidone or typical antipsychotic cohorts. High negative and depression symptom scores at baseline and the presence of extrapyramidal symptoms at baseline predicted a worse clinical response, whereas hostile behaviour, paid employment and substance abuse predicted a better clinical outcome. The olanzapine cohort gained more weight than patients in the risperidone cohort, but no significant difference in weight gain was observed between olanzapine and the oral typical antipsychotic cohort. The results should be interpreted conservatively due to the observational study design.

This article focuses on the production and dissemination of photographic images by serving US soldiers in Iraq who are photographing their experiences and posting them on the Internet. This form of visual communication – in real time and communal – is new in the representation of warfare; in earlier wars soldiers took photographs, but these were not immediately shared in the way websites can disseminate images globally. This digital generation of soldiers exist in a new relationship to their experience of war; they are now potential witnesses and sources within the documentation of events, not just the imaged actors – a blurring of roles that reflects the correlations of revolutions in military and media affairs. This photography documents the everyday experiences of the soldiers and its historical significance may reside less in the controversial or revelatory images but in more mundane documentation of the environments, activities and feelings of American soldiery at war.

Despite the preoccupation with media depictions of crime and criminal justice, few studies have employed qualitative methodologies to investigate how audience members engage with, react to, and interpret media content. This analysis of Reddit forums dedicated to the 2015 Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer reveals the wide range of responses to the series and demonstrates the value of looking to user-generated content on social media platforms to understand how we think and feel about crime-related matters. I argue that Reddit users’ reactions to the series are consistent with existing research outlining the complexity of the public’s views regarding criminal justice policy and these responses are intelligible when we consider the broader socio-political context in which the series was released. Particularly important, in my view, are individuals’ affective responses – including empathy, confusion, heartbreak, anger, frustration, fear, and helplessness – and the ways these emotions are linked with beliefs about the efficacy of the criminal justice system and the purposes of punishment. Consequently, this article buttresses recent calls to consider the entire spectrum of human emotions and to investigate the ways these emotions are related to our multifaceted beliefs about crime and criminal justice.

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Patients with psychodermatological problems are numerous, and can be challenging to manage within the constraints of general dermatology clinics. Despite this, psychodermatology services remain limited in the UK and globally. A study in 2012 found that only 6% of departments in the UK had a dedicated psychodermatology service (1). Commissioners may be reluctant to fund such multidisciplinary services, perceiving them to be costly. This case series, along with two other published studies, shows the reverse to be true (2, 3). METHODSWe aimed to study the direct healthcare costs associated with caring for 4 typical patients with a range of diagnoses in our psychodermatology service. We used nationally-agreed tariffs to estimate the costs of primary and secondary care consultations, investigations and treatments prior to referral, and compared this to the costs incurred within the psychodermatology service ( Table I). At the time that the patients were cared for, our service comprised a consultant dermatologist conducting joint patient assessments with a senior clinical psychologist. Limited in-house psychological therapy was available thereafter if indicated, but we had to refer on to separate local psychiatric services if this was deemed necessary. RESULTSPatient A presented with episodic hair loss and was eventually diagnosed with trichotillomania. Prior to referral, her care was estimated to have cost £1,209 (€1,347). She was assessed in the psychodermatology service and received a short course of psychological therapy, costing £386 (€430) in total. This led to acceptance of her hairpulling and resulted in resolution of her symptoms.Patient B was referred to dermatology with multiple large bullae and erosions. She also reported a myriad of other complaints including widespread pain, visual loss, headaches, weakness, incontinence, twitching, recurrent abdominal pain and dyspnoea. She had been thoroughly assessed by multiple departments over 5 years. She was eventually diagnosed with factitious skin disease and medically unexplained symptoms. Prior to referral, the cost of investigating and treating her skin complaint was £5,555 (€6,190). A conservative estimate of the cost with regard to her additional symptoms was £14,979 (€16,692). Psychodermatology input, costing £218 (€242), helped her to identify that her predominant problem was with her mental health and she agreed to psychiatric referral. This resulted in marked improvement in both her skin and other symptoms, including regaining of some of her vision, allowing her to be discharged to psychiatric services.Patient C presented with painful, non-healing erosions which he attributed to tick bites. He had amassed an extensive collection of samples and had consulted a number of clinics around the region. He was diagnosed with delusional infestation and was referred to the psychodermatology clinic where he has been started on risperidone. The cost of his care prior to referral was £2,892 (€3,223). Within the psychodermatology service, his care has so far cost £46...