There has been increasing policy interest in the interface between mental and physical health in recent years. One of the key objectives of the current Cross-Government Mental Health Strategy (for England) is to improve the physical health of those who suffer from mental illness. In parallel, people who suffer from long-term physical conditions have very high rates of comorbid mental ill-health, which are associated with worse outcomes, can delay recovery and can lead to longer hospital stays. Therefore there are opportunities for liaison psychiatry to do its part in helping our healthcare systems to deliver better outcomes in an economically challenging environment.

The recent financial crisis in Greece has affected the mental health of the population as well as mental health service provision and planning. These new adverse circumstances call for the profession's swift response. In this paper we make evidence-based suggestions for urgent, as well as longer-term, mental health reform. We consider psychiatric prevention and mental health promotion to be the central principles to abide by in the long term. We also offer suggestions for important current issues, including the devolution and coordination of decision-making, the further development of community psychiatry and the implementation of sectorisation, support for service user involvement, the reform of psychiatric education and the creative integration of mental health service provision with Greek culture. We conclude that enhanced participation of the profession in decision-making and service planning can result in cost-effective, evidence-based reform.

The effect, if any, of recent economic problems on mental health in the Republic of Ireland is not fully clear. Rates of suicide increased slightly between 2006 and 2011, and there was a notable increase in 2011 itself. Rates of psychiatric admission continued to fall, however, in line with national mental health policy. Use of sedative and tranquilliser medications (but not antidepressants) increased, although use in the Republic of Ireland remains substantially lower than in Northern Ireland. Mean self-rated happiness in Ireland declined steadily and significantly between 2005 and 2012. In 2009, as economic problems deepened, satisfaction with income replaced satisfaction with health as the strongest correlate of happiness in Ireland. By 2011/12, however, none of the traditional correlates of happiness retained an independent association with happiness. Overall, these trends suggest that suicide prevention strategies will be increasingly important for Ireland in future years. Active labour-market programmes to address unemployment may also play an important role in suicide prevention. Rates of mental illness and medication usage in the community merit further study. The solution to declining happiness levels may elude purposive description but this trend is likely to reverse as Ireland's economic prospects improve.

According to preliminary data, by 2010 the economic crisis in Spain had already led to an increase in the prevalence of anxiety, mood disorders and alcohol misuse, identified in primary care settings, but there had not been an impact on suicide rates. Since then, several indicators suggest that the full impact of the economic crisis on mental health was delayed, until at least the second half of 2011 and even later, to 2012. There is increasing evidence that budget cuts had a particular impact on mental healthcare during this latter period.

The Argentinean Congreso de la Nacion (National Congress, or Parliament) approved in November 2010 a new Mental Health Law (MHL) (Law 26657, ‘Salud Publico. Derecho a la Proteccion de la Salud Mental’ [Public Health. The Right to Protect Mental Health]). Although it is not the first law concerning mental health – as several of the provinces and the autonomous city of Buenos Aires (Argentina's capital) have enacted their own – the MHL establishes principles for human rights and the protection of patients, and aims to develop approaches in mental health that are compatible with the most advanced views and legislation from high-income countries. In this paper we report on the most important aspects of the MHL. We highlight areas that represent a change for Argentina, such as the new arrangements for both informal and compulsory admission to hospital.

Brazil is a Federal Union which comprises 27 member states, one Federal District, and about 5000 municipalities. According to the Federal Constitution (Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil; Diário Oficial da União, 05/out/1988), the competence to rule over health issues is shared by all of them. So, in each part of the country three levels of legislation apply: federal, state and local law. However, as an inferior level of law must not conflict with a superior one, there is a relative uniformity throughout the country, at least in theory. Regarding actual mental healthcare delivery, there are many differences across the Brazilian regions, mostly due to socioeconomic variation.

A cross-sectional survey of children aged 5–11 years attending 22 primary schools was carried out in Karachi, Pakistan. In the first (screening) phase, broad morbidity rates were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A total of 968 parents and 793 teachers participated. In the second phase, 100 children were selected for a diagnostic interview using the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders & Schizophrenia for School-Age Children. A weighted rate of 17% (95% CI 6.2–28.3%) was found for common child psychiatric disorders, with a preponderance of behavioural disorders, followed by anxiety and mood disorders. The feasibility study established methods and preliminary rates of child psychiatric disorders, which appear higher than in other countries. School surveys could be an important source of data in low-income countries and form the basis for interventions in the absence of specialist services.

It is my observation that Sri Lankan clinical psychologists, contrary to international standards, can, at times, be prevented from independent practice by psychiatric colleagues. This paper suggests reasons for the sometimes strained relations between clinical psychology and psychiatry and discusses the future of the profession in Sri Lanka. An important step would be the establishment of separate departments of clinical psychology in the health system, rather than psychologists being situated within departments of psychiatry.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide have provoked controversy. The ethical and legal issues have been debated but more emphasis on the cultural and religious aspects is needed.