Mental Health and Health Care in Vulnerable Contexts

Dear Colleagues,

With the rise in mental health problems in recent years, this topic has been attracting scientific, social, and clinical interest. This situation has brought mental health into the public eye. However, despite progress, the statistics on these problems remain concerning. Mental health research is crucial to understanding and improving care for individuals with or without mental disorders, as it plays a fundamental role in overall well-being.

This Special Issue aims to address the integration of mental health into services not directly related to mental health in particularly vulnerable populations, such as in children; the elderly; people with disabilities, physical or psychiatric illnesses, and psychological problems; people in situations of social exclusion; and/or anyone in a state of special vulnerability. Therefore, this Special Issue explores how systems not directly related to healthcare can better integrate mental health services. A good example of this are social institutions and NGOs (child protection centers or foster homes, third sector entities, and institutions dedicated to combating violence against minors and intimate partner violence) and educational institutions (schools, sports, and leisure centers), where policies to improve mental health are implemented, despite not being health institutions, to ensure that people have a better quality of life.

Early detection of these problems and the implementation of preventive and intervention measures are key elements to protect people with mental health problems and prevent them from becoming chronic.

For this Special Issue, we invite you to submit articles on original research with primary and/or secondary data, with high-quality systematic reviews also being welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Juan Manuel Moreno-Manso
Dr. Carlos Barbosa-Torres
Guest Editors

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