Advances in Perinatal Mental Health: Prevention, Screening, Treatment, and Support Across Pregnancy and Postpartum

Dear Colleagues,

Perinatal mental health is a pressing global health priority with profound implications for maternal functioning, infant development, and family well-being. Despite a strong and growing evidence base, significant gaps remain in the identification, accessibility, and delivery of effective care. These gaps are particularly evident among underserved populations, where structural inequities and barriers to engagement continue to limit the impact of existing services.

At the same time, the field is undergoing rapid transformation. Recent years have seen accelerated advances in preventive approaches, the integration of mental health into perinatal care systems, digital and telehealth interventions, and models designed to improve reach and scalability. Concurrently, global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflict, and socioeconomic instability, have intensified the need for responsive, equitable, and evidence-based solutions. This convergence of unmet need and emerging innovation makes the present moment especially critical for advancing the science and practice of perinatal mental health.

Aim and Scope

This Special Issue will present high-quality, contemporary research on perinatal mental health in diverse and changing contexts. We welcome contributions that advance knowledge on prevention, screening, treatment, implementation, and service delivery across pregnancy and the postpartum period. Submissions may include original research and comprehensive reviews that address clinical, community, and health system levels of care.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prevention and early intervention strategies;
• Screening, identification, and risk assessment;
• Access to care, help-seeking, and treatment engagement;
• Digital, online, and telehealth-based interventions;
• Psychological, pharmacological, and integrated treatments;
• Implementation science and models of care delivery;
• Trauma-informed care and the impact of stress and crisis contexts;
• Social, familial, and community influences on perinatal mental health;
• Cross-cultural and global perspectives in clinical perinatal mental health, including low- and middle-income settings;
• Policy and systems-level approaches to improving care;
• Innovative methodologies and emerging technologies.

Dr. Rena Bina
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.