Editorial: High potency cannabis

In this editorial, Wayne Hall and Louise Degenhardt’s editorial discuss the recent research article published in Lancet Psychiatry that found daily use of “skunk” (a highly potent form of cannabis) is a contributory cause of schizophrenia. After exploring the key limitations of the research, they conclude that “the remarkable consistency of multiple types of individually fallible evidence makes it much more likely than not that regular cannabis use is a contributory cause of psychosis.”

Practice: Diagnosis and management of depression in children and young people

“Depression affects around 2.8% of children under the age of 13 and 5.6% of 13-18 year olds.” This article summarises the recent updates to the NICE guideline on depression in children and young people. The key messages are that there is little clear evidence for the superiority of any single psychological therapy for the treatment of depression in children and young people and that clinicians should now consider starting treatment with antidepressants and psychological therapy simultaneously for young people with moderate to severe depression rather than waiting until after psychological therapy has proved ineffective.

News: Trusts have used part of £700m winter pressures fund to pay off debts, doctors claim

“A College of Emergency Medicine survey of senior consultants working in emergency departments found that only 1% (£6 685 000) of the money allocated by the government for 2014-15 was spent directly on emergency department services.” Some consultants responding to the survey accused hospital trusts of using some of these funds—that had been specifically allocated for use in frontline emergency department services—to pay off debts and diverting funds to schemes that had failed to reduce attendances or admissions.

Analysis: The challenge of overdiagnosis begins with its definition

“Active health intervention is not always a good thing: it can be ‘too much medicine,’ or produce what is often called overdiagnosis.” But what exactly is overdiagnosis—the topic of this week’s themed issue? Should we really be talking about “too much medicine” instead? In this analysis article, S M Carter and colleagues attempt to move towards a definition and argue that we can and should be more explicit about what we mean when we use the term.

Minerva: Finally, why not test yourself with: an unusual rash in an orthopaedic clinic.

Kate Adlington is a clinical fellow at The BMJ. Follow Kate on Twitter @kateadlington