The Future of Mental Health: Bridging the Translational Gap Between Mechanism, Practice, and Ethics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite advances in neuroscience, genetics, and digital health, a significant gap remains between research discoveries and clinical practice. Bridging this translational gap requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates biological mechanisms with clinical innovation, ethical reflection, and patient-centered care.
This Special Issue, entitled “The Future of Mental Health: Bridging the Translational Gap Between Mechanism, Practice, and Ethics,” aims to encourage dialogue between basic science, clinical psychiatry, and ethical and societal perspectives. Contributions addressing translational neuroscience, neuroinflammation, precision psychiatry, digital psychiatry, artificial intelligence in mental healthcare, and the ethical challenges of emerging technologies are particularly welcome.
This initiative is also academically associated with the European Conference of Psychiatry and Mental Health – GALATIA 2026, which will take place in Galați, Romania, 6–10 May 2026. The conference aims to promote international collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange on innovative directions in mental health research. More information about the conference is available at: https://galatia2026.ro.
Original research articles, reviews, and interdisciplinary perspectives that contribute to bridging the gap between scientific discovery, clinical practice, and ethical responsibility are welcome.
Prof. Dr. Anamaria Ciubara
Prof. Dr. Pantelie Nicolcescu
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diseases 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 1800 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
- mental health
- translational psychiatry
- neuroinflammation
- psychiatric genetics
- artificial intelligence in mental healthcare
- digital psychiatry
- precision psychiatry
- ethics in mental health
- translational neuroscience
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

