Advancements in Psychiatry: Exploring New Horizons in Mental Health

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization, one in every eight people is living with a mental disorder, making these illnesses among the most frequently met health problems worldwide. New approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders are acutely needed due to the high prevalence and important rates of treatment resistance of severe psychiatric disorders (SPDs) and their significant social and economic impact. Also, the post-modernistic society creates a vulnerable terrain for the development of new diagnostic entities that could significantly impact the quality of life and overall functionality of affected individuals; therefore, mental health specialists have to be aware of these new diagnostic challenges.

This topic aims to expand the current scientific knowledge on five important dimensions related to the new frontiers in psychiatry:

(1) Diagnostic entities such as ultra-processed food addiction, social network site addiction, or problematic use of the internet have been explored in the last two decades, and an increase in awareness about the existence of such disorders in vulnerable populations (e.g., children and adolescents and patients with other psychiatric diagnoses) is needed.

(2) Changes in the nosographic classifications (DSM-5 TR and ICD-11) are important to explore comparatively because this approach is expected to have an impact on clinical and epidemiological research in psychiatry, e.g., dimensional vs. categorical models of personality disorders (ICD-11 vs. ICD-10), or adding gambling disorder in the chapter dedicated to “substance-related and addictive disorders” (DSM-5 vs. DSM-IV TR).

(3) New psychotropic drugs are in the pipeline, and they represent important hopes for patients with SPDs, e.g., new antipsychotics with non-dopaminergic mechanisms, new antidepressants with glutamatergic modulating properties, new anxiolytics derived from androstadienol, immune therapy for Alzheimer’s neurocognitive disorder, etc. 

(4) A lack of validated biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of mental disorders is a major obstacle to formulating adequate prophylactic and diagnostic strategies for SPDs; therefore, clinical and translational research targeting such biomarkers is strongly needed.

(5) Non-pharmacological therapies for SPDs are also evolving, e.g., neuromodulation techniques, nutritional interventions, and new psychotherapies, and they can increase the chances of recovery in this population.  

We are inviting authors to submit their original work, which may represent clinical studies, translational research, epidemiological studies, literature reviews, and meta-analyses that approach the above-mentioned domains of interest, with the hope that exploring new frontiers of mental health will increase the chances for recovery in patients with psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Octavian Vasiliu
Prof. Dr. Rajendra D. Badgaiyan
Guest Editors

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• psychopharmacology
• antipsychotics
• antidepressants
• major depressive disorder
• schizophrenia spectrum disorders
• anxiety disorders
• gut microbiota
• neuromodulation
• nutritional psychiatry
• nosographic classifications
• biomarkers
• new diagnoses
• food addiction
• behavioral addictions
• gaming disorder
• internet use disorder
• gambling disorder
• gut microbiota
• avatar therapy
• mindfulness therapy
• transcranial magnetic stimulation