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Background: A considerable social stigma is attached to many types of psychiatric disorders. However, research also shows that there are differences in the degree of social stigma attached to psychiatric disorders. There is evidence that the portrayal of schizophrenia in the media is particularly negative., Aim: To compare the degree of stigma in reporting of autism and schizophrenia in the Flemish daily newspapers., Method: Via the websites of the seven Flemish daily newspapers, we searched for all articles published between 2008 and 2012 containing the keywords autism/autist(ic) and schizophrenia/schizophrenic. The collected articles (n = 4,181) were then graded to their stigmatising content., Results: In the collected articles the coverage of autism was mostly positive, whereas the coverage of schizophrenia was predominantly negative. The contrast between the reporting on autism and on schizophrenia was very substantial (p < 0.0001) and the negative coverage of both disorders increased over time., Conclusion: The social stigma attached to schizophrenia is poignantly reflected in the Flemish newspapers. The fact that a disorder such as autism, which has many features in common with schizophrenia, is depicted in a much more favourable way than schizophrenia indicates that a more positive image of schizophrenia is not only desirable but also achievable.

Background: Forensic psychiatry attracts considerable attention from media and politicians. All psychiatrists, not only those working in the forensic field, should be able to evaluate safety for society on the one hand and qualitative health care for psychiatric patients on the other. However, little attention is paid to specific forensic issues, in both psychiatric training and in medical school.
AIM: To map relevant topics for a forensic psychiatric curriculum in medical schools and psychiatric residency training.
METHOD: The main findings regarding educational topics in forensic psychiatry are discussed based on policy papers and scientific articles.
RESULTS: Four important topics should be covered in general psychiatric training, i.e. mental health legislation, risk assessment and management, professionalism and ethics, and expert witness training. The Netherlands has a specific training programme for psychiatrists interested in expert report writing and testimony for criminal courts. In Belgium, psychiatrists can acquire specific professional competence in forensic psychiatry.
CONCLUSION: Acknowledgement of the above-mentioned topics in the general medical and psychiatric curriculum will lead to better knowledge and competencies for all psychiatrists, both in Belgium and the Netherlands. Continuing attention and evaluation will be necessary given the high societal relevance.