Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been used in healthcare and medical research for the past two decades. In particular, the use of fNIRS in academic and clinical psychiatry has increased rapidly owing to its advantages over other neuroimaging modalities. fNIRS is a tool that can potentially supplement clinical interviews and mental state examinations to establish a psychiatric diagnosis and monitor treatment progress. This article provides a review of the theoretical background of fNIRS, key principles of its applications in psychiatry and its limitations, and shares a vision of its future applicability in psychiatric research and clinical practice.

Microdeletion syndrome is an important topic in intellectual disability, associated with various psychiatric symptoms, such as autism, attention deficit, hyperactivity, obsession and compulsion, and psychosis. In this article, we provide a clinical update on the following syndromes and their associated psychiatric disorders: Prader–Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Williams syndrome, Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome, cri du chat syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome and Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome.

Previous studies have demonstrated that smartphones are useful tools in everyday, evidence-based medical practice. This article gives an overview of the current use in psychiatry of smartphone apps aimed at patients and the general public, highlighting associated benefits and disadvantages. It also outlines how practising psychiatrists could embrace such technologies at an individual, organisational and national level.

Smartphones are equipped with features that enable the rapid assessment of up-to-date evidence-based information. Their role in medical education is gaining recognition, and more and more institutions are providing devices or applications (apps) to medical students and trainees. Recent UK research suggests that most medical students believe smartphones would be a useful addition to their clinical education and that the majority of students and junior doctors own between one and five medically related apps. This article highlights the utility of these devices in education and summarises the existing technologies adopted by other specialties. It gives a framework for how psychiatry could adopt these new technologies in education and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of using this new approach. A brief illustration of how these technologies are being applied in undergraduate and postgraduate psychiatry is included.

This article summarises the development of mental health legislation in Singapore in three distinctive periods: pre-1965; 1965–2007 and 2007 onwards. It highlights the origin of mental health legislation and the relationship between mental health services and legislation in Singapore. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008 and Mental Capacity Act 2008 are described in detail.

Singapore is a multi-ethnic Asian society with a unique sociocultural and economic background. This is an overview of the characteristics of psychiatry in this nation in terms of service provision, mental health funding, education and training, and the challenges it faces in the midst of an evolving mental health landscape. Over the past 5 years, Singapore has maintained a closer tie with the Royal College of Psychiatrists through the the College's Membership examination.

Metabolic syndrome comprises a number of cardiovascular risk factors that increase morbidity and mortality. The increase in incidence of the syndrome among psychiatric patients has been unanimously demonstrated in recent studies and it has become one of the greatest challenges in psychiatric practice. Besides the use of psychotropic drugs, factors such as genetic polymorphisms, inflammation, endocrinopathies and unhealthy lifestyle contribute to the association between metabolic syndrome and a number of psychiatric disorders. In this article, we review the current diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome and propose clinically useful guidelines for psychiatrists to identify and monitor patients who may have the syndrome. We also outline the relationship between metabolic syndrome and individual psychiatric disorders, and discuss advances in pharmacological treatment for the syndrome, such as metformin.