Bimonthly, Established in 1959
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In this issue

special article

Translated and annotated version of China’s new Mental Health Law

The following document is a translation of the first national mental health law of the People’s Republic of China, which was adopted by the National People’s Congress on October 26, 2012. The original Chinese version of the law is available at the official government website: http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2012-10/26/content_2252122.htm. The translation was completed by a team of translators at the Shanghai Mental Health Center at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The translators have added footnotes at the end of the document that explain their choices in sections where alternative translations are possible and that provide background information for sections that may be confusing to readers unfamiliar with China. This translation should be cited as follows: Chen HH, Phillips MR, Cheng H, Chen QQ, Chen XD, Fralick D, Zhang YE, Liu M, Huang J, Bueber M. Mental health law of the People’s Republic of China (English translation with annotations). Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry 2012; 24(6): 305-321. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1002-0829.2012.06.001 Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Small-world brain networks in schizophreniaMingli LI, Zhuangfei CHEN, Tao LI

Summary: Over the last decade the combination of brain neuroimaging techniques and graph theoretical analysis of the complex anatomical and functional networks in the brain have provided an exciting new platform for exploring the etiology of mental disorders such as schizophrenia. This review introduces the current status of this work, focusing on the topological properties of human brain networks – called ‘small-world brain networks’ – and on the disruptions in these networks in schizophrenia. The evidence supporting the findings of reduced efficiency of information exchange in schizophrenia both within local brain regions and globally throughout the brain is reviewed and the potential relationship of these changes to cognitive and clinical symptoms is discussed. Finally we propose some suggestions for future research.

Original research article

Subjective well-being of the elderly in Xi Cheng District, Beijing

Shuo LI, Zhaohui XIE, Jun SHAO, Cunli XIAO, Liang TIAN3, Rongfeng ZHAO, Jiakai GONG, Jinxiang HAN,

 

Relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene C270T polymorphisms and the psychotic symptoms and cognitive functioning of patients with schizophrenia

Jinguo ZHAI, Jingping ZHAO, Min CHEN, Jun LI, Zhonghua SU

Background: Findings from previous studies linking brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and schizophrenia are inconsistent and few studies have assessed the relationship between BDNF C270T gene polymorphisms and the clinical and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. 

Aim: Compare the prevalence of the BDNF C270T gene polymorphisms between patients with schizophrenia and controls and, in the patients, assess the relationship of genotypes to the severity of symptoms.
Methods: BDNF C270T genotype and allele frequency were measured using Polymerase Chain Reaction methods in 224 drug-free patients with schizophrenia and 220 controls. Psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Trail Making Test (TMT). In the patient group, differences in severity of symptoms across the three genotypes (i.e., C/C, C/T, and T/T) of C270T were assessed using one-way analysis of variance.
Results: The frequency of the T allele was much higher in patients than in controls(15.6% vs. 4.3%, χ2=31.47, p
Conclusion: We confirm previous findings about differences in the prevalence of the BDNF C270T gene polymorphisms in schizophrenia, but do not find strong evidence of a relationship between different genotypes and the severity of the clinical or cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Clinical and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia fluctuate over the course of the illness and with treatment, so stable, individual-specific measures of these parameters (that is, traits) need to be identified before it will be possible to definitively assess their relationship to different genotypes.

Forum

To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always
Sophia FRANGOU

Case report

Case report of mental disorder induced by niacin deficiency
Wei WANG Bo LIANG
Summary: The 45-year-old male patient described in this case report had a classic case of pellagra. The patient was initially brought to a psychiatric hospital because of disorderly behavior. On admission the patient was unable to provide a history so he was given a provisional diagnosis of Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified. Despite having the cardinal symptoms of dermatitis, dementia and (three days after admission) diarrhea it took 20 days to confirm the diagnosis of pellagra. After initiation of appropriate treatment it took about six months for the patient to make a complete recovery.

Biostatistics in psychiatry

Growth curve mixture models
Benjamin E. LEIBY

Correspondence

A greater focus on prevention and rehabilitation
Ziqing ZHU
A long overdue pleasure
Xiehe LIU
Mental Health Law of the People’s Republic of China: inviting dialogue
Kate DIESFELD Graham MELLSOP