Folic acid supplementation for prevention of mood disorders in young people at familial risk: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial.

Background: Clinical mood disorders often become clinically manifest in the later teenage years and early twenties and can be associated with a poor long-term prognosis. The primary prevention of these disorders would therefore have great public health value. Nutritional supplements are a feasible intervention for primary prevention and several epidemiological studies have indicated links between low folate status and depressive symptomatology in the general population.

Safety of antipsychotics in people with intellectual disability.

Background: Despite frequent use, little is known about the metabolic and endocrine side-effects of antipsychotics in individuals with intellectual disability.

Aims: To compare indices of obesity, glucose, lipids and prolactin between antipsychotic-treated and antipsychotic-naive individuals with intellectual disability and also between participants with intellectual disability and controls from the general population.

Method: Observational study comparing 138 antipsychotic-treated and 64 antipsychotic-naive participants with intellectual disability in one National Health Service trust with general population controls.