The International Journal of Mental Health has typically focused on psychosocial aspects of mental health and related services, such as in developing as well as developed countries. In this editorial, I provide an updated context for this focus while upholding it as a continuing primary focus of the International Journal of Mental Health. I first address key biopsychosocial perspectives on mental health and its challenges and then I address main types of mental health services.
The biological understanding of mental health and its challenges has developed rapidly. For example, new genetics and brain imaging technology and related research have produced many findings of interest, such as using genome editing and functional brain imaging to better understand mental disorders. Unfortunately, the clinical - treatment and prevention - implications of these findings are largely unclear to date. The psychological understanding of mental health and its challenges has grown considerably. For example, learning from general psychology, such as in relation to social cognition, has contributed to the explanation of psychopathology and to the development of psychological interventions. Unfortunately, the availability of many evidence-based psychotherapies is limited, especially in developing countries as well as in remote areas of developed countries. And the social understanding of mental health and its challenges has continued to advance. For example, research on social determinants of mental health has demonstrated the importance of income, housing, education, employment and social support for the well being and functioning of people with mental disorders and of others. Unfortunately, resources are often lacking in many disadvantaged - rural, inner city and other - communities so that minimally effective levels of such social factors are not established or maintained.
Mental health services can be classified as clinical or other. The main types of clinical mental health services used these days are medications, neuromodulation, psychotherapies and psychiatric/psychosocial rehabilitation. Innovation in psychotropic medications such as antipsychotic and mood regulating medications seems slow lately. Innovation in neuromodulation such as electric and magnetic brain stimulation also seems slow lately. Innovation in psychotherapies, on the other hand, seems faster lately, for example, addressing generic factors such as mentalization and specialized factors such as mindfulness, and use of transdiagnostic psychotherapies such as a unified protocol. And innovation in psychiatric/psychosocial rehabilitation also seems faster lately, for example, integration of supported employment with supported education for better vocational success and satisfaction of people with mental health challenges, and addition of cognitive remediation to supported employment for further improvement in outcomes of this population. Two main types of other mental health services used these days are digital and systemic. Innovation in digital mental health services has been growing rapidly, for example, as demonstrated in the use of mental health apps and related wearables for momentary monitoring of mental health, and in the use of patient portals as part of electronic health records and other software to facilitate shared health care decision making of people who have mental health challenges with their health care service providers. Innovation in systemic mental health services has also advanced, although apparently more slowly, for example, in relation to reduction of public stigma towards people with mental health challenges, and in relation to early (mental health related) intervention such as including in it all the main types of clinical mental health services.
The International Journal of Mental Health addresses many of these and other innovations in relation to mental health, albeit with a primary focus on psychosocial aspects of mental health, its challenges, and related services. importantly, the International Journal of Mental Health advances the notions of mental health promotion for everyone and recovery of people with mental health challenges. Researchers are encouraged to continue to submit manuscripts addressing innovation and research associated with these notions and more generally with mental health of individuals, communities, populations and society.