2011:

Nov 24: Psychiatrists should have less influence over psychiatric patients, says report - more emphasis instead on peer support states Mind charity after inquiry into crisis mental health care in England and Wales.

2010:

Aug 30: Government repeats Labour promise to end mixed-sex mental health wards - Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says failing trusts would be fined from next year

2009:

Sept 28: Most mental health patients praise care -
73% say inpatient psychiatric care was good, very good or excellent, reports survey

August 29: Psychiatric patient hanged himself with strap given by nurse - consultant psychiatrist Helen Miller criticised system at Dundee unit

EXCLUSIVE: July 30: Unexplained deaths of psychiatric in-patients at record 10-year high - new figures released today.

April 22: NHS trust boss defends reputation after "shocking" mental health patient death data - Erville Millar, chief executive of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, points to "significant flaws? in statistics

Feb 19: Psychiatric nurse who failed at-risk patient who hanged himself is struck off - second nurse who was playing computer game at time of Wiltshire hospital ward death is cautioned

Jan 30: We'll check on government promise to end mixed-sex wards, say campaigners - NHS trusts which fail to provide single-sex accommodation face fines, says health secretary

2008:

Nov 20: Life in Broadmoor hospital revealed - Victorian patient archives available for the first time

Oct 23: Patients evacuated after fire at psychiatric unit - blaze destroyed parts of medium secure unit at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, London

July 30: Two in 10 mental health trusts provide poor care - Royal College of Psychiatrists president, Dinesh Bhugra says wards are so bad he would not use them

July 11: "Excessive" restraint caused death of psychiatric patient - jury drew attention to failings in staffing, training and facilities at Swansea hospital

June 20: "I've got nothing to cover up" - mental health nurse denies accusations she got rid of evidence over patient's death during restraint at Swansea's Cefn Coed Hospital, left

EXCLUSIVE
June 13: 'Mental illness is petrifying' - day-to-day life as an inpatient on a psychiatric unit is being documented on an internet blog by Mandy Lawrence, left,

May 30: Psychiatric patient died after '55 minutes' of restraint - inquest jury hears evidence before it decides what caused the death of Kurt Howard, 32, at Swansea's Cefn Coed Hospital.

May 21: Almost all psychiatric patients oppose smoking ban on units, study claims - but patients at Rampton, pictured left, lose test case for right to continue smoking. Judges ruled ban was justified for "health and security" reasons.

March 20: Psychiatric patients launch test case for right to smoke while detained - patients could be only group of people banned from smoking "in the privacy of their own home", judges told

Feb 14: Patient strangles woman on Rochdale psychiatric ward - Telahum Tedola attacked Rosalyn McManus, pictured left, because she accused him of being a spy.

Feb 14: Appoint good leaders to end violence on psychiatric wards, urges psychiatrist - Paul Lelliot calls for change after audit finds most nurses on psychiatric wards have been assualted

Feb 1: Psychiatric wards are ?frightening and dangerous? - Mental Health Act commissioners say they are also "tougher, scarier places? than they were 10 years ago.

Jan 10: Private psychiatric units increasingly used to detain patients - new figures show 24 per cent increase of detentions in independent hospitals

2007:

Nov 28: "If I had to be back in psychiatric hospital this is " - ?Revolutionary? new mental health hospital (left) opens in Glasgow.

Sept 19: Secure psychiatric ward patient number reaches record high - in July there were 3,723 people detained in secure forensic units, according to Sainsbury Centre For Mental Health

Aug 30: Female psychiatric patient dies after attack by man in same ward - death comes after revelation that mixed-sex mental health wards are common, despite government claims to contrary.
Left, the victim Rosalind McManus

Aug 30: Mental health units should carry out sex abuse audits, psychiatrists urge - royal college says it is ?very likely? sexual incidents are under-reported.

Feature: July 11: Aiming high - A new scheme hopes to boost standards in psychiatric wards. Adam James investigates.
(Left: Rachel Weddle, manager of Collingwood Court unit, Newcastle)

May 30: Rampton patient launches human rights test case over smoking ban - Terrence Grimwood accuses hospital of violating his right to respect for his private and home life

March 29: Mixed-sex psychiatric wards common, despite government claims to contrary - Healthcare Commission finds 55% of inpatients share sleeping accommodation or bathrooms with opposite sex.

March 15: Staff and patients welcome sniffer dogs to find illegal drugs on psychiatric unit - "Use of drug dogs on our wards has been well received by service users and staff", says Liz Jones, director of nursing at Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust

Feb 1: Quarter of adult and child psychiatric beds provided by independent sector - one of dozens of key mental health statistics documented in new book (left)