Mental Health Syndemics Among Underserved Communities

Dear Colleagues,

Syndemics as a theoretical framework that originated in medical anthropology and focuses on the deleterious intersections of diseases or other health conditions that exacerbate negative health outcomes. Syndemics furthermore focuses on social inequities and the unjust exercise of power. In recent years, syndemics has attracted increasing attention in biomedical disciplines, as is evidenced by the ongoing research conducted by both the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP).

While syndemics originally focused on substance abuse, violence, and AIDS (the SAVA syndemic), there is now more research being conducted on the syndemics of other mental illnesses and health conditions such as food insecurity, diabetes, and COVID-19. Both the COVID-19 pandemic’s spotlight on the structural barriers to mental healthcare and the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory on the loneliness epidemic underscore the urgent need for more research on mental health syndemics, especially among underserved communities. Underserved communities are groups that have limited or no access to healthcare resources due to discrimination and other systemic barriers; examples include low-income populations, LGBTQIA+ populations, older adults, people of color, and people with disabilities. These populations are particularly vulnerable to mental health syndemics due to the unjust exercise of power that disproportionately impacts the distribution of healthcare resources to different populations.

This Special Issue aims to trace the ways in which mental health syndemics impact healthcare access among underserved communities. In particular, we are interested in papers that underscore the systemic barriers that underserved communities face in accessing mental healthcare and the role that mental health syndemics play in healthcare access.

In keeping with the aims and scope of Healthcare, papers should consider topics such as the socioeconomic burden of mental healthcare, disease prevention and early diagnosis of mental illnesses, treatment strategies for mental illnesses, and health policies that impact access to mental healthcare.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and literature reviews are welcome, and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following: substance use and COVID-19; depression and food insecurity; or PTSD, STIs, and interpersonal violence. The papers should furthermore explore how mental health syndemics can be used for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment among populations who face systemic barriers to accessing healthcare.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Bonnie Kaiser
Guest Editor

Dr. Shir Ginzburg
Guest Editor Assistant

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• discrimination
• healthcare access
• mental health
• syndemics
• systemic barriers
• underserved communities