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Pharmacotherapy of Mental Diseases: Latest Developments
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Pharmacotherapy of Mental Diseases: Latest Developments

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2026 | Viewed by 859

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lavinia Maria Hogea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Neuroscience Department, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: psychology; mental health; behavioral medicine; pharmacotherapy; psychopathology; psychotherapy
Prof. Dr. Laura Alexandra Nussbaum

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Neuroscience Department, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: medicine; public health; psychopathology; pediatric neuropsychiatry; pharmacology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to invite you to contribute to the following Special Issue entitled “Pharmacotherapy of Mental Diseases: Latest Developments”, which aims to highlight recent advances and interdisciplinary approaches in the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric and neuropsychiatric conditions.

Mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental syndromes, continue to affect millions of people globally, with a significant impact on quality of life and psychological well-being.

Pharmacotherapy plays a crucial role in their management, but significant challenges remain, including treatment resistance, side effects, non-adherence to treatment and the need for individualized approaches.

This Special Issue aims to explore how pharmacotherapy, when combined with or used as an alternative to psychotherapy and brain stimulation techniques, can contribute to improved outcomes. We are particularly interested in research that supports novel interventions, enhances our clinical understanding of these diseases and promotes personalized treatment in mental illness.

We welcome contributions that cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to the following: combination therapies and augmentation strategies; long-term efficacy, tolerability, and safety profiles; pharmacotherapy in special populations (children, elderly, pregnant women); considerations in psychiatric pharmacotherapy; empirical research on treatment efficacy and outcomes; reviews and papers on intervention models; and studies on comorbidity and transdiagnostic approaches.

We welcome the submission of both empirical studies and papers, and look forward to receiving your contributions to this important and timely collection.

Prof. Dr. Lavinia Maria Hogea
Prof. Dr. Laura Alexandra Nussbaum
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 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. 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.

Keywords

  • brain stimulation
  • mental health
  • novel intervention
  • pharmacotherapy
  • psychotherapy
  • quality of life
  • psychologi-cal well-being
  • treatment personalization in mental diseases

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 273 KB  
Article
Effect of Specialized Psychiatric Assessment and Precision Diagnosis on Pharmacotherapy in Adults with Intellectual Disability
by Marta Basaldella, Michele Rossi, Marco Garzitto, Roberta Ruffilli, Carlo Francescutti, Shoumitro Deb, Marco Colizzi and Marco O. Bertelli
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(2), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15020489 - 8 Jan 2026
Viewed by 574
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Adults with intellectual disability (ID) experience high rates of psychiatric comorbidity but often face diagnostic challenges and treatment barriers, leading to inappropriate psychotropic medication use. This study examined the extent to which specialized psychiatric assessment and improved diagnostic accuracy had an [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Adults with intellectual disability (ID) experience high rates of psychiatric comorbidity but often face diagnostic challenges and treatment barriers, leading to inappropriate psychotropic medication use. This study examined the extent to which specialized psychiatric assessment and improved diagnostic accuracy had an impact on medication management and clinical outcomes in adults with ID and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Methods: This observational retrospective study analyzed medical records from 25 adults with ID who underwent specialized psychiatric assessment at a community-based service in Italy between January 2023 and January 2024. Psychopathological diagnoses were established according to Diagnostic Manual—Intellectual Disability, Second Edition (DM-ID2) criteria, based on clinical observation and a comprehensive assessment using validated instruments. Clinical outcomes were assessed using a psychometric tool encompassing multiple psychopathological and behavioral dimensions. Data on psychotropic prescriptions and side effects were also collected. Non-parametric analyses were performed, with significance set at α = 0.05. Results: The proportion of patients with a psychiatric diagnosis increased from 32% to 96% after specialized assessment (p < 0.001), with notable rises in depressive (0% to 32%), bipolar (8% to 36%), anxiety (4% to 24%), and impulse control (0% to 16%) disorders. First-generation antipsychotic prescriptions decreased (from 36% to 8%, p = 0.023), while antidepressant use increased (from 12% to 52%, p = 0.004). The mean number of side effects per patient declined from 1.6 to 0.5 (p < 0.001), particularly the elevated prolactin level and psychomotor retardation. Significant improvements were observed in symptom intensity and frequency across multiple domains, including aggression, mood disturbances, and compulsions (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this single-center retrospective study, specialized psychiatric assessment was associated with improved diagnostic accuracy, medication management, and clinical outcomes in adults with ID. The increase in psychiatric diagnoses likely reflects improved identification, addressing key challenges in precision diagnosis for people with neurodevelopmental disorders. Although the overall number of prescribed medications remained stable, optimization of treatment regimens reduced first-generation antipsychotic use and related adverse effects. These findings indicates that access to specialized assessment and precision diagnosis could improve psychopharmacological interventions and outcomes for this vulnerable population, but larger, multi-center and longer-term studies are needed to confirm these results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacotherapy of Mental Diseases: Latest Developments)
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