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Psychiatric Services cover

Psychiatric Services

ISSN (print): 1075-2730 | ISSN (online): 1557-9700

A Journal of the American Psychiatric Association

Editor: Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H.

Impact Factor: 3.8 Total Citations: 13,042

2022 Journal Citation Reports® (Clarivate Analytics, 2023)

Learn more about bibliometrics for Psychiatric Services.

Call for Article Submissions

Topic: Patient Experience of Inpatient Psychiatry and Crisis Services

Psychiatric Services is pleased to call for article submissions related to the patient experience of inpatient psychiatry and crisis services. Submissions can be empirical analyses using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods; Policy Reviews; Open Forums; or Viewpoints. For empirical submissions, we are especially interested in submissions that center the understanding of patient experience directly from current or former patients, but we will consider submissions focused on proximal constructs or use of adjacent methods. Scholars with lived experience of inpatient psychiatry, crisis services, or both are strongly encouraged to submit relevant work to this call.

Articles may be submitted as a Regular Article (3,000 words), a Policy Review (4,000–6,000 words), an Open Forum (1,600 words), or a Viewpoint (1,200 words).

  • Authors should follow the format requirements for the article type being submitted as outlined in the journal’s author guidelines.
  • When submitting a manuscript for consideration, authors should mention the solicitation and topic in a cover letter as part of the submission.
  • All submissions will undergo the journal’s standard peer review process.
  • Authors are invited to send general questions about this call to [email protected].

Guidelines for Reporting Qualitative Methods
September 27, 2023

Qualitative and mixed-methods approaches are increasingly part of the methodological tool kit of mental health services researchers. These approaches are of crucial importance for representing the subjective experiences of people who use mental health services. In addition, they may be used in an exploratory way to generate hypotheses about relatively unknown phenomena. They are also essential for assessing the causes and mechanisms driving treatment success and failure. Psychiatric Services aims to publish qualitative research that demonstrates the highest standards of research design, analysis, and ethics. We encourage authors to use interpretive rigor in qualitative analysis to contribute original findings that expand our knowledge of how to care for diverse patient populations. Submissions utilizing the full potential of qualitative approaches will build on, revise, or challenge existing theories of treatment and service delivery as described by current scholarship.

Psychiatric Services suggests the following guidelines for authors submitting work using qualitative methods:

  • Justify the use of qualitative methods for the topic under investigation. Provide a clear and succinct rationale for the methods utilized.
  • Describe the methodology, including (as appropriate) sampling methods, recruitment, data collection procedures, data analysis and analytic strategies.
  • Justify the sampling methods, especially for small, nonprobability samples.
  • Provide information about the context of the research, including the settings in which data were collected.
  • Exhibit sufficient original evidence in the body of the report so that readers may grasp the basis for the argument. Evidence may include quotations, summaries of verbal exchanges, observations, and other forms of data.
  • Consider whether to include in an online supplement additional evidence (detailed quotations, verbal exchanges, observations, field notes, etc.) supporting the project’s findings.
  • Explain in the Discussion and Conclusions sections how the evidence presented contributes to the argument.
  • Explore in the Discussion section whether the context(s) of the research project may have influenced the results.
  • Ensure that discussion and conclusions reached are logical and credible given the findings and context.
  • Describe the extent to which the findings and conclusions may apply to other groups or settings and note any unusual features that limit applicability.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Welcoming the Voices of Lived Experience
As our journal has been working diligently to develop strategies to address racism in our content and processes, I have been listening to and learning from partners and collaborators with lived experience of mental illness. Progressive voices in our field have been encouraging meaningful lived experience involvement for a very long time (e.g., as noted in the 2003 report of the President’s New Freedom Commission), but these voices have not achieved meaningful change. This is unacceptable. Journals such as Psychiatric Services and their editors, including me, must be held accountable. At Psychiatric Services, we have created a new column on Lived Experience Inclusion and Leadership, edited by Nev Jones, Ph.D., and Keris Myrick, M.B.A., M.S. The column’s name intentionally goes beyond inclusion to leadership. Further, Jones and colleagues emphasize the need for “greater inclusion of individuals … with the most (potentially) disabling and stigmatized diagnoses” (1). This past year, I have been making a concerted effort to include an individual with lived experience during peer review. This is a start, but it is far from enough. We have to organize such that we implement strategies to promote participation and skills in reviewing manuscripts and ensuring that every article is reviewed with a lived experience lens. We must consider creative ways to promote the engagement of individuals with lived experience to submit manuscripts—whether they be research papers, columns, or essays such as Open Forum. The first step will be to create a working group/advisory to guide this process. We have a running start, but need to be more strategic and intentional. I welcome suggestions and ideas.

—Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H.
Editor, Psychiatric Services

December 7, 2021

A Statement on Racism
Over the past month, I have become painfully aware of the failure of academic psychiatry and its journals to address both systemic racism and the role of racism in determining access to health care and specifically to timely, high-quality health care. Psychiatric Services is no exception. We must do better, and I am committed to correcting this deficiency in an informed, sustainable, and inclusive manner. Accordingly, readers will soon see new members of our editorial board as well as additional column editors who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). An advisory group led by Drs. Altha Stewart and Jessica Isom will provide guidance on addressing structural racism as it relates to the submission of journal articles and the review process. Over the next year, readers and contributors will see new calls for papers and responsive changes to our information for contributors. We will also review processes and practices to reveal opportunities for reform. Readers and contributors will see new efforts to mentor and support authors who identify as BIPOC. This is only the beginning. I welcome suggestions and ideas.

—Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H.
Editor, Psychiatric Services

July 15, 2020

1. Lived Experience, Research Leadership, and the Transformation of Mental Health Services: Building a Researcher Pipeline Nev Jones, Ph.D., Kendall Atterbury, Ph.D., Louise Byrne, Ph.D., Michelle Carras, Ph.D., Marie Brown, Ph.D., Peter Phalen, Ph.D. Psychiatr Serv 2021; 72:591–593

Call for Papers
Psychiatric Services welcomes high-quality submissions addressing the delivery of mental health services. Authors should be able to answer the questions, How does this paper inform or improve service delivery? and What knowledge gap is this paper closing? We encourage broad and diverse viewpoints, including from people with lived experience. A global perspective allows consideration of an expansive range of problems and solutions. We welcome submissions that focus on various populations (e.g., children, adults, underserved) and types of disorders (e.g., addiction, psychosis, trauma). No population or type of disorder is excluded. Submissions are especially welcome in the following areas:
  • Integration of psychiatric and general medical care
  • Criminal justice and psychiatric services
  • Suicide prevention
  • Digital and online psychiatric services
  • Social determinants of health in psychiatric care
  • Implementation strategies
  • Impact and alleviation of bias, racism, and health disparities
  • Effectiveness of peer support interventions
  • Incorporating voices of lived experience in care
  • Effects of federal, state, and local policies on people with serious mental illness
  • Substance use and mental illness, particularly in public-sector populations
  • Early interventions and preventive strategies

Submissions will undergo the journal’s standard rigorous peer review. Various study designs may be used. Randomized trials are welcomed but not required, as are other designs that balance internal and external validity.

To submit your paper, please visit https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/ and select Submit.
Call for Policy Article Submissions
Topic: Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages

Psychiatric Services is pleased to call for policy article submissions. Twice per year, the Psychiatric Services Policy Advisory Group will select a high-priority policy topic. Submissions should provide a critical analysis of the topic and present a balanced overview of potential policy strategies at the federal, state, tribal, or local levels. Authors should take care to avoid making overtly political or partisan claims. Please see below for additional information about how to submit a manuscript for consideration.

The first high-priority policy topic will be behavioral health workforce shortages. Specific issues to address may include team-based care, telehealth, collaborative and integrated care models, peer roles, insurance acceptance, and scope of practice.

Additional information

Articles may be submitted as either a Policy Review (4,000-6,000 words) or an Open Forum (1,600 words).

  • Authors should follow the format requirements for the article type being submitted as outlined in the journal’s author guidelines.
  • When submitting a manuscript for consideration, authors should mention the solicitation and policy topic in a cover letter as part of the submission.
  • All submissions will undergo the journal’s standard peer review process.
  • Submission deadline: December 30
  • Authors are invited to send questions about this call for policy article submissions to [email protected].

Latest Articles

News and Announcements

Call for Papers

Psychiatric Services Welcomes New Reviewers
Professionals in the mental health disciplines who are qualified to review are invited to contact the Editor, Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H. Qualifications include prior publication of articles in your specialty area in peer-reviewed journals; current knowledge of recently published research in that area; familiarity with Psychiatric Services’ audience and recent publications in your field; and willingness to invest the time needed to thoroughly evaluate the manuscripts you agree to review. In your message, please include a list of representative publications and/or professional activities.

Persons who review for the journal will receive published acknowledgment for reviewing. Further information for reviewers can be found here.

New to reviewing? Listen to a podcast discussion on peer review from Psychiatric Services From Pages to Practice.

Is “Personal Recovery” a Useful Measure of Clinical Outcome?
The New York Times recently reported on a Psychiatric Services research article and associated Taking Issue on the measurement of recovery as a clinical outcome.

Filling a Critical Niche for Seven Decades
Read a recent Psychiatric News article on the history of the journal.

Reporting on and Reviewing for Race/Racialization, Ethnicity, and Culture