Advancements in Psychiatry: Exploring New Horizons in Mental Health

A special issue of Journal of Personalized Medicine (ISSN 2075-4426). This special issue belongs to the section "Personalized Therapy in Clinical Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2026 | Viewed by 908

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry, “Dr. Carol Davila” University Emergency Central Military Hospital, 010816 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: psychiatry; psychopharmacology; psychooncology; cognitive behavioral therapy; eating disorders

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Midland, TX 79705, USA
Interests: neuroimaging; psychiatry; cognitive neuroscience

Special Issue Information

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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Keywords

  • 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

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 400 KB  
Article
The Role of Age at Onset on the Clinical Course and Biochemical Parameters of Anorexia Nervosa
by Lorenzo Ferrario, Andrea Costantino, Letizia Maria Affaticati, Massimo Clerici, Antonios Dakanalis, Enrico Capuzzi and Massimiliano Buoli
J. Pers. Med. 2025, 15(9), 442; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm15090442 - 17 Sep 2025
Viewed by 302
Abstract
Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) has the highest mortality rate among psychiatric disorders, making early diagnosis and tailored management crucial. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of age at onset (AAO)—childhood/adolescence versus adulthood—on the clinical course and associated biochemical parameters. Methods: Seventy-six female [...] Read more.
Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) has the highest mortality rate among psychiatric disorders, making early diagnosis and tailored management crucial. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of age at onset (AAO)—childhood/adolescence versus adulthood—on the clinical course and associated biochemical parameters. Methods: Seventy-six female patients with AN were divided into two groups based on AAO (<18 years vs. ≥18 years). Group comparisons were performed using t-tests for continuous variables and χ2 tests for categorical variables. Correlation analyses assessed associations between AAO and continuous variables. Significant findings were entered into regression models, including a binary logistic regression with AAO as the dependent variable and a linear regression with significant correlations as predictors. Results: The early-onset group showed significantly higher potassium levels and a lower sodium/potassium ratio (Na+/K+) compared with the late-onset group (potassium: t = 0.93, p < 0.01; Na+/K+: t = 3.39, p < 0.01). AAO was strongly inversely correlated with potassium levels (r = −0.75, p < 0.01) and positively correlated with cholesterol (r = 0.574, p < 0.01) and Na+/K+ (r = 0.78, p = 0.01). Binary logistic regression correctly classified 87% of cases, showing that lower Na+/K+ was associated with earlier onset (OR = 2.23, p = 0.03). Linear regression confirmed significant associations of AAO with cholesterol levels (B = 0.07, p = 0.02) and Na+/K+ (B = 1.68, p < 0.01). Conclusions: AAO in AN is strongly associated with specific biochemical parameters. Early-onset patients exhibit more severe electrolyte imbalances, while late-onset cases show higher cholesterol levels, suggesting increased cardiovascular risk. These findings emphasize the importance of personalized treatment approaches according to AAO, although further studies are warranted to confirm these results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Psychiatry: Exploring New Horizons in Mental Health)
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