New Trends in Mental Health Intervention from the Scope of Psychology and Psychiatry: Challenges for Research and Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Mental health trends continue to reflect old challenges, such as the always very prevalent affective disorders and related behavioral health issues like substance abuse. However, new challenges have arisen as a result of the recent mental stress and economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to across-the-board lifestyle changes, all mental health issues are on the rise and the urgent need for mental health services will be a trend for years to come.

Human behavior has been always at the heart of many of the largest issues grappled by our society: climate change, inequality, the future of work and employment, health and well-being, and misinformation, among others. Psychologists have been asked not only to have a seat at the table but, very often, to take the lead on confronting these issues. In this sense, in recent years there has been a growing focus on evidence-based practice, signalling the adoption of the stance that therapies should be only used if they are proven effective through research. This shift towards personalized and evidence-based care is helping to ensure that people receive the best possible care. To be specific, the cutting-edge emerging areas in mental health include:

• The use of tools and digital devices such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), health applications and virtual reality (VR), combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), for treating various conditions and psychiatric disorders (i.e., chronic pain, depression, anxiety and addiction), or to help in neuropsychological rehabilitation and revolutionizing mental health research by making it more accurate and efficient.
• Artificial intelligence for helping to diagnose and treat mental disorders, i.e., by identifying patterns in social media data that may be indicative of mental health disorders or helping to develop personalized treatment plans for patients with mental health disorders.
• Trauma-informed care to provide holistic and individualized support for those affected by trauma.
• Teenage suicide prevention measures including early identification and treatment of psychological issues, family counselling, and school-based programs that address health boundaries on social media, and violence among peers among other aspects.
• Blood tests and genetics-based diagnostic systems to help in identifying specific genes and biomarkers associated with certain mental health disorders, allowing for more accurate and earlier diagnosis of mental health disorders.
• Advancements in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), a form of therapy combined with ingesting a psychoactive substance to explore potential benefits for mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety, PTSD), addiction, and other conditions.
• A detailed examination of the relationship between the psychological disorder being treated and the therapeutic alliance throughout the process which can enhance mental health therapy and improve patient outcomes in a more efficient and sustainable manner. Conversely, the phenomena of drop-out and therapeutic alliance ruptures are vital topics for research.

In conclusion, it is evident that mental health trends are changing in psychiatry and clinical psychology. There has been a shift towards more holistic and integrative treatments and a focus on wellness and prevention. This is likely due to the increasing awareness of the importance of mental health and the growing demand for better care. Therefore, it is vital for clinicians to stay up to date with the latest research and developments in this field. Launching a Special Issue will directly assist in achieving this goal.

Dr. Carmina Castellano-Tejedor
Guest Editor

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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.