​​​​​​​Edited by Johan Bilsen and Patrick Cloos
​​​​​​​Archives of Public Health invites you to submit to our new article collection focussing on public mental health.
The WHO points to the fact that mental disorders (e.g. depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders) are the leading cause of ill-health and disability worldwide. Mental disorders impact people of all ages and backgrounds, affecting not only individuals but also their family, social network, and the society as a whole. Around one fifth of the world’s children and adolescents have mental health problems, while mental illness leads to about 800,000 suicides each year. Nevertheless, there are still substantial social inequalities in the accessibility of services. This includes significant disparities in mental health facilities, and expenditures between lower and higher income countries. Furthermore, the misunderstanding and stigma around mental illness is still widespread. This collection looks to approach mental health from a global, public, and interdisciplinary perspective. It aims to understand how political, social, and cultural factors co-determine mental health or illness, and to inform effective action to promote mental health.
We are interested in articles that address public mental health understanding, or interventions that can help to target mental disorders and promote mental health globally. We welcome manuscripts focusing on public mental health issues such as: assessment tools and indicators, policy, availability and accessibility of mental health systems and services, socio-economic aspects, epidemiology of mental health and its co-morbidity, social determinants, inequalities and inequities, contribution of social sciences to public mental health, and current insights in prevention and promotion strategies.
Manuscripts can address whole populations, or more vulnerable subgroups such as: the elderly, adolescents, and minorities. We will also consider manuscripts that address mental health in the context of specific circumstances (e.g. wars, terrorism, sexual abuse, migration, and extreme climate disasters) and are interested in issues closely related to mental health such as discrimination and stigma, or human rights violations. We are also interested in new developments in mental health care, such as alternative or community mental health care.
The collection is open for submissions of systematic reviews, research, and commentary articles, which would undergo the journal’s normal peer review process and article processing charge. Manuscripts should be formatted according to our submission guidelines and submitted via the online submission system. In the submission system please make sure the correct collection title is chosen from the additional information tab. Please also indicate clearly in the covering letter that the manuscript is to be considered for the collection.