Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: epidemiology; violence; injury; trauma; social determinants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Carrie Shaver

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: mental health; substance abuse

Prof. Dr. Elizabeth England-Kennedy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Public Health Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: health equity; social and environmental justice; people experiencing homelessness; dairy and agricultural workers; infectious disease; social action research; one health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on mental health, substance use, and violence continues to expand. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been extensive discussion about mental-health issues impacting all aspects of health and wellbeing. Despite the deluge of studies, much remains to be investigated regarding the changing trends and epidemiology of violence, substance use, and mental-health problems before and after the acute phase of the pandemic. Such knowledge will consider the changing social, political, cultural, economic, and demographic determinants of population mental health before and during the era of COVID-19. These insights are sorely needed to ensure safer societies and guide public health and clinical interventions on mental health and substance-use problems. Such guidance has the potential to inspire policy initiatives and acceleration of action to halt the rising rates of violence, suicide, addiction, and psychiatric illnesses.

With this Special Issue, I hope to encourage discussion of the knowledge gaps, epidemiology, and determinants of addiction, violence, and mental illnesses specially before, during, and after the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. High-quality reviews and population-based studies with large samples, big datasets, and technological drivers will be given special consideration. Studies describing community-based interventions to improve safety and mental health are of particular interest.

Prof. Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani
Dr. Carrie Shaver
Prof. Dr. Elizabeth England-Kennedy
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.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 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

drugs
stress
injury
suicide
homicide
violence
addiction
psychiatry
mental health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mental Health System Responsiveness during COVID-19 in People with Pre-Existing Psychiatric Disorders: Experiences from Iran

by Maryam Zabihi Poursaadati, Samaneh Hosseinzadeh, Masoomeh Maarefvand, Jafar Bolhari and Jagdish Khubchandani

Epidemiologia 2023, 4(1), 74-84; https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia4010008 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1615

Abstract

Mental health system responsiveness (MHSR) is one of the important indicators in measuring the performance of mental health systems. Recognizing this function can be effective in responding appropriately to the needs of People with Pre-Existing Psychiatric Disorders (PPEPD). This study aimed to investigate MHSR during the COVID-19 period in PPEPD in Iran. Using stratified random sampling, 142 PPEPD who were admitted to a Psychiatric Hospital in Iran one year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Participants completed a demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire as well as a Mental Health System Responsiveness Questionnaire through telephone interviews. The results show that the indicators of prompt attention, autonomy, and access to care were reported as the worst-performing and the confidentiality indicator as the best-performing. The type of insurance affected the access to care and the quality of basic amenities. MHSR has been reported to be poor in Iran in general and this problem worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iran and the degree of disability of these disorders, structural and functional changes are needed for adequate MHSR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Violence, Substance Use, and Mental Health Problems)

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 533 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cannabis Use and Its Impact on Mental Health in Youth in Australia and the United States: A Scoping Review

by Aayush Baral, Fahad Hanna, Ritesh Chimoriya and Kritika Rana

Epidemiologia 2024, 5(1), 106-121; https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia5010007 - 29 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1269

Abstract

Cannabis is a widely used substance among the youth population, with an estimated 2.8% currently smoking cannabis. Its popularity is growing due to the perception of its harmless nature and lack of dependence. However, this increase in use has been linked to mental health issues, especially since its partial decriminalisation in some part of the United States and Australia. The objective of this scoping review was to investigate the mental health impact of cannabis use among young people in Australia and the United States. A scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) protocol, and articles were searched from ProQuest Central and EBSCO Host (MEDLINE and CINAHL databases). A total of 24 articles were analysed, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cohort, longitudinal, and cross-sectional studies. The findings indicate that cannabis use is associated with depression, psychosis, suicide, cannabis use disorder, dependence, decline in cognitive function, and the development of externalising behaviour, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, the relationship between cannabis use and anxiety is equivocal. Mental health issues were more prevalent with increased frequency, duration, intensity, and type of use. Female, minority, LGBTQI, African American, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander youth and the age of onset of cannabis use were significant factors for the development of mental health problems. The increasing prevalence of cannabis use among high school and college students suggests the need for intervention by teachers, parents, and community health professionals to make them aware of its potential negative mental health outcomes. Moreover, policy-level interventions by the government are required to discourage young people from using cannabis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Violence, Substance Use, and Mental Health Problems)

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