Mental Health and Substance Abuse
A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 86
Special Issue Editors
Interests: intersectionality of mental health and chronic disease; healthcare access for people with mental illness and substance use disorders; dual diagnosis; mental health and well-being of marginalised populations; social determinants of mental health and substance abuse; student psychological well-being
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Mental health and substance abuse issues are significant global health challenges, especially the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and alcohol use disorders. The bidirectional relationship between mental disorders and substance abuse—stemming from shared underlying factors such as genetic vulnerabilities, changes in brain structure and chemistry, and environmental stressors—promotes high rates of dual diagnosis. Indeed, dual diagnosis can lead to poorer health and social outcomes for affected individuals. Despite evidence of this, many countries and regions worldwide face notable challenges in developing and implementing successful policies, alongside effective prevention and treatment interventions, to reduce the impact of mental disorders and substance abuse on individuals, families, and communities. These challenges are often inextricably linked to a lack of political will, limited financial resources, inadequate governance and policy frameworks, and insufficient human capital. Yet, some countries have successfully adapted by developing and implementing relevant, impactful interventions and initiatives such as task shifting and sharing in the mental health workforce to increase the reach and impact of mental health services in low-resource contexts. Such efforts have highlighted the importance of strategic innovation and collaboration.
This Special Issue, titled “Mental Health and Substance Abuse”, aims to synthesize original articles, critical reviews, research notes, and short communications that demonstrate advancements in knowledge, strategies, or innovations in policies, interventions, approaches, or treatments, including preventative and harm reduction approaches, related to the intersection of mental health with substance abuse and dual diagnosis.
Dr. Patrice Whitehorne-Smith
Dr. Sophie B. Haywood
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- substance abuse
- mental health
- dual diagnosis
- mental health interventions
- mental health innovations
- mental health prevention
- substance abuse interventions
- harm reduction
- substance abuse prevention
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