Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists professional practice guidelines for the administration of electroconvulsive therapy.

Objectives: To provide guidance for the optimal administration of electroconvulsive therapy, in particular maintaining the high efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy while minimising cognitive side-effects, based on scientific evidence and supplemented by expert clinical consensus.

Methods: Articles and information were sourced from existing guidelines and the published literature. Information was revised and discussed by members of the working group of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' Section for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation, and findings were then formulated into consensus-based recommendations and guidance.

The role of methylene blue in serotonin syndrome: a systematic review.

Background: A recent series of case reports has demonstrated a significant, previously unrecognized drug interaction between serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and methylene blue (MB).

Objective: The authors review the case reports and clinical audits relevant to this interaction and consider the diagnosis of serotonin syndrome in these cases.

Method: Articles were obtained from a systematic search of MEDLINE and PsychInfo databases, and from the bibliographies of relevant articles.

No evidence for restrictive care practices in Măori admitted to a New Zealand psychiatric inpatient unit: do specialist cultural teams have a role?

Objective: To ascertain the presence, and describe the pattern and extent, of restrictive care practices in the treatment of mental health inpatients in a rural New Zealand unit.

Methods: Retrospective data was anonymously extracted from patient records at Rotorua Hospital (Rotorua, New Zealand). Data sets were compiled from 300 consecutive patient admissions between January 2000 and December 2001.

Serotonin syndrome following methylene blue infusion during parathyroidectomy: a case report and literature review.

Purpose: To report a case of autonomic, neurological and neuromuscular instability following methylene blue infusion for parathyroidectomy; to advance the argument for a diagnosis of serotonin syndrome; and to consider this diagnosis in previous, unexplained reports of adverse reactions amongst patients undergoing parathyroidectomy using methylene blue.

Clinical Features: Methylene blue was administered to a 58-yr-old woman undergoing a parathyroidectomy under general anesthesia. The patient had a background of obsessive compulsive disorder treated with paroxetine.

Prosecuting psychiatric patients who assault staff: a New Zealand perspective.

Objectives: The prosecution of psychiatric inpatients for violent acts remains controversial but is increasingly considered as a management option for a minority of patients. Most of the literature so far has been based in North America. This study in a rural New Zealand psychiatric unit was undertaken to explore the rates, reasons and outcomes of referring psychiatric inpatients to the police for possible prosecution of violent acts committed while in hospital.

Psychiatrists in New Zealand: are they burning out, satisfied at work and, in any case, who cares?

Objective: To explore possible contributing or mitigating factors for burnout in New Zealand psychiatrists as well as future research directions in this area.

Method: A selective review of the literature pertaining to burnout and reports regarding New Zealand's medical workforce.

Results: Possible factors contributing to burnout in New Zealand psychiatrists include rapid changes in the country's health system, the challenge of recruiting and retaining psychiatrists, poor distribution of staff and funds and difficulties in psychiatric training.