PLOS Mental Health

We are pleased to announce that PLOS Mental Health is now indexed by PubMed Central and Scopus!

For more details about where we are indexed, take a look at our 'Indexing and Archiving' information:

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

How our Lived Experience Advisory Board has shaped PLOS Mental Health - Speaking of Medicine and Health This year, PLOS Mental Health launched the pilot for a Lived Experience Focus Group. 13 inspiring and generous advocates agreed to take…

Our latest blog summarizes how we have responded to the suggestions of our amazing Lived Experience Advisory Board

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/11/25/h...

We are thrilled to now be on BlueSky!

We prioritize studies addressing critical health challenges—from major diseases to health equity—that bridge scientific rigor with real-world impact, connecting researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to advance global health 🧬🧪

#OpenScience #MedSky

Hope in times of pain: Recording of World Mental Health Day panel discussion 2025 - Speaking of Medicine and Health October 10th was World Mental Health Day, for which the theme was ‘Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies&rsquo…

We are pleased to share the recording of our powerful World Mental Health Day panel discussion, which we co-hosted with @ucl.ac.uk.

Please engage with the content at your own discretion as the topics discussed may be distressing.

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/10/29/h...

What to know before submitting systematic and scoping reviews to PLOS Mental Health - Speaking of Medicine and Health Since opening for submissions in November 2023, PLOS Mental Health has been lucky to receive a large number of impactful systematic reviews…

Systematic and scoping reviews are considered to be Research Articles at @plos.org

But what does this mean for manuscript preparation and submission and why does this matter to authors?

Take a look at our latest blog to find out...

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/10/22/w...

What to know before submitting systematic and scoping reviews to PLOS Mental Health - Speaking of Medicine and Health Since opening for submissions in November 2023, PLOS Mental Health has been lucky to receive a large number of impactful systematic reviews…

Interested in submitting a systematic or scoping review to PLOS Global Public Health? Check out this fantastic blog post written by colleagues at our sister journal, @plosmentalhealth.org - all of the guidance you see there applies for PLOS GPH as well.

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/10/22/w...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthOpinion

Advocates around the world provide a lived experience response to fake news...

'...society seeks someone to blame for what it doesn't understand....claims reopen wounds for every person who's ever been told that they shouldn't exist'

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Celebrating four years of PLOS Global Public Health Today marks the 4-year anniversary of when PLOS Global Public Health published its first articles – a milestone which, honestly, blows my mind. We had opened for submissions in April 2021, thinking th...

Celebrating four years of PLOS Global Public Health: reflections from Executive Editor @juliarobinson.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/pulse/celebr...

World Mental Health Day 2025: Access to Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies - Speaking of Medicine and Health This year, the theme for World Mental Health Day is ‘access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies’. Supporting those…

This #WorldMentalHealthDay we focus on service access in times of crisis.

We highlight content from our journal and across @plos.org (@plosglobalpublichealth.org and PLOS Medicine), which aims to improve well-being in the face of mass trauma

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/10/10/w...

World Mental Health Day: reflections on care in emergencies and crisis Join us for this free online World Mental Health Day 2025 webinar, hosted by UCL Institute for Global Health and PLOS Mental Health Journal

Please join us this World Mental Health Day at 3pm BST for a live panel discussion chaired by our co-EiC @thewrittenro.bsky.social in which we will focus on mental health support during emergencies and catastrophes

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-ment...

Peer Review Week 2025: Focusing on the aspects that must stay uniquely human - Speaking of Medicine and Health This week is Peer Review Week. The theme for this year is ‘Rethinking Peer Review in the AI Era’ and we are…

Inside the mind of the reviewer...

If you are interested in understanding what reviewers look for, either because you want to review or you want to improve your academic writing, take a look at this free workshop that we hosted for #PeerReviewWeek

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/09/19/p...

Youth Mental Health Day 2025 at PLOS Mental Health: The Importance of Sharing Support - Speaking of Medicine and Health The theme for Youth Mental Health Day this year is ‘share support’. With this theme, we are encouraged to help young people…

For Youth Mental Health Day last week, we hosted an international roundtable (with representation from USA, Uganda and India), which discussed the importance of sharing support when tackling stigma among young people.

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/09/18/y...

UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A clinical outcomes analysis for insomnia Insomnia affects approximately 10% of adults globally. Current treatments have their limitations, and there is growing evidence on the therapeutic potential of cannabis-based medicinal products for in...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

A new study led by @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social assesses the therapeutic potential of cannabis-based medicinal products for insomnia:

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthOpinion

Matthew Jackman (Australian Centre for Lived Experience) and colleagues call for leadership to be defined by the ability to transform personal challenges into advocacy, empathy, and collective growth, and not by authority/position.

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

A performing arts intervention to decrease suicide stigma on campus: A three time point assessment of “Every Brilliant Thing” Suicidality is stigmatized, with discussions on the topic considered taboo by some. Fine arts may tackle subjects that people find hard to address. In 2024, a tour of “Every Brilliant Thing,” an inter...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

"Every Brilliant Thing”, an interactive play now in the West End starring @lennyhenryofficial.bsky.social, has been shown by University of North Carolina to reduce suicide-associated stigma among students, even a month post-performance

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Accessing mental health care: A population-level exploration of the impact of immigration duration in the United States 2019–2023 Immigrant populations in the United States are known to experience worsening mental health as time since immigration increases, with consistently lower rates of mental health service engagement compar...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

Using National Health Interview Survey data, researchers from University of British Columbia highlight the need for targeted interventions and policy reforms that address disparities in mental health service use among immigrants. journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthOpinion

Money alone is not enough.

Professor Martyn Pickersgill at @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social calls for a more ambitious mental health agenda in Scotland. He outlines his recommendations, with a focus on collaboration and community

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

A critical review of the evolution and interrelation of traumatic stress disorders Trauma is a complex and often contentious psychopathological construct. The term trauma has become ubiquitous within mental health literature and practice. It is often used interchangeably to describe...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthReview

Dr @jekpsych.bsky.social and mental health professionals from all continents, critically evaluate the extent to which current understanding of traumatic stress disorders captures the complexity of trauma across global contexts. journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Does food insecurity cause anxiety and depression? Evidence from the changing cost of living study Food insecurity is associated with increased odds of anxiety and depression, but it is unclear whether this effect is causal, and if so, the timescale over which it occurs. We conducted a preregistere...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

Researchers from @northumbriauni.bsky.social‬, @newcastleuni.bsky.social, @ensdelyon.bsky.social and @york.ac.uk explore the rapid changes in mental health that occur alongside changes in food security.

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Getting to know PLOS Mental Health: Socio-economics & Political Approaches - Speaking of Medicine and Health In the latest blog from our ‘Getting to know PLOS Mental Health‘ series, we speak with Dr Soumitra Pathare, who co-leads our…

In our latest ‘Getting to know PLOS Mental Health‘ blog, we speak with Dr Soumitra Pathare at Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Pune, who co-leads our ‘Socio-economics and Political Approaches’ section with Dr China Mills at Healing Justice London.

speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2025/07/22/g...

Co-involvement of stimulants with opioids in North America: A 'silent epidemic' The opioid epidemic unfolded in three distinct waves, with the latest comprising of deaths attributed to illegally manufactured synthetic opioids. We discuss evidence for a 'silent epidemic' alongside...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

A study from @ualberta.bsky.social and @ucalgary.bsky.social sheds light on the public awareness of a ‘silent epidemic’ occurring alongside the opioid crisis, involving co-ingestion of stimulants (e.g. methamphetamine and cocaine)

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

I hope that by sharing my own lived experience w/arts & mental health, I can not only shed light on my “why” in this work, but also engage others in considering their own.

I would like to dedicate this writing to my late father, Reynaldo Rodriguez, who taught me the importance of joy in our lives.❤️

Thank you @gabefabreau.bsky.social and Yasir Essar for sharing this powerful Opinion piece with us. We will continue to shine a spotlight on this throughout the year...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthOpinion

'Arts engagement for mental health: A strengths-based opportunity'

Alex Rodriguez from University of Florida shares her experience of how art helped her recovery from a mental health crisis

journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Efficacy of transformational breath for anxiety management in professional voice users Music Performance Anxiety, a subset of social anxiety disorder (SAD), can significantly impede the lives of professional voice users (PVUs). This pilot cohort study evaluates the efficacy of Transform...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

A pilot study from Dr Philippa Wheble at Swansea University and Dehan Elçin ‪Tulane University explores the potential of 'Transformational Breath' for alleviating anxiety in professional voice users doi.org/10.1371/jour...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthOpinion

When organizations become legacies...

@kidshelpphone.bsky.social describe the ripple effects when organizations invest in, and empower, their volunteers.

Primary care health screening in patients with severe mental illness: What influence do financial incentives have? The Quality-of-Care Framework (QOF) aims to improve patient care for at risk groups through financial incentivisation. This study assesses the effect of changes in incentivisation of four health indic...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

What influence do financial incentives have?

A study from @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social & @liverpooluni.bsky.social explores how changes in incentivization of health monitoring affects people with severe mental health conditions.

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthOpinion

Psychologists at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Institute of Mental Health (Amritsar) & Chirayu Medical College and Hospital call for cultural adaptations of psychotherapy in India due to persisting colonial era influences doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Differential influence of habit components on compulsive and problematic reward-seeking behavior Habitual behavior has been identified as a key process involved in a variety of mental health problems. Previous research has shown that habit is not a unitary construct. The present study examined ho...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

How do habits drive our mental health?

A study from University of Geneva explores how different components of habitual behavior relate to mental health.

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Sick leave or work sick? Examining the antecedents and conceptualizations of presenteeism and absenteeism among teleworkers during COVID-19: A scoping review Many organizations have shifted to hybrid or remote work arrangements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Illness, whether physical or psychological, can manifest during telework (remote or home-bas...

#NewPLOSMentalHealthArticle

Sick leave or work sick?

A Systematic Review from @uoft.bsky.social‬, University of Malta & @uofguelph.bsky.social explores presenteeism and absenteeism in the (tele)workplace to better inform organizational policies and strategies.

doi.org/10.1371/jour...