Dear Colleagues,

 

Mental disorders are highly disabling and prevalent, being their global prevalence 13% in 2019, and, accounting from sex differences, generally, depressive (3.8%) and anxiety disorders (4.1%) are the predominant disorders worldwide¹. Moreover, drug abuse and mental health share many common risk factors, such as personality traits (neuroticism, anxiety, and impulsivity^2–4), social isolation, adverse social circumstances (i.e. family dysfunction or economic problems) and severe physical conditions related to chronic pain^5,6. Furthermore, mental health disorders and drug abuse are the most common risk factors for suicidal behavior⁷, being a serious public health concern, causing about 800,000 deaths worldwide, and being one of the leading causes of death, despite being preventable⁸.

 

Considering mental and addiction disorders as serious threats to public health, the scope of this Section Collection is to highlight present and future challenges that this research line faces. As follows, some of this are going to be detailed.

 

· Advancing towards early detection, more precise diagnosis, more available medical assistance services, decreasing stigma and discrimination, and innovative treatments.

· Drug cessation among mental and addiction disorder patients, including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs of abuse.

· Polysubstance use, understood as the use of more than one drug.

· Mental and addiction disorders among vulnerable populations such as adolescents, elders, homeless, individuals suffering gender violence, etc.

· Behavioral addictions (such as gambling, overeating, or smartphone/internet addiction among other)

· Psychonutrition, as the role of nutrition in treating mental and addiction disorders, including psychobiotics (probiotics aiming to improve mental health by gut microbiome interactions).

· Dual pathology of mental and addiction disorders, as the interdependence and co-occurrence of both disorders.

 

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Cristina Lidón-Moyano

Section Editor

5.Mental Health Disorders; Addiction Disorders; Detection; Diagnosis; Stigma; Discrimination; Treatment; Cessation; Polysubstance Use; Vulnerable Populations; Behavioral Addiction; Nutrition; Psychonutrition; Psychobiotics; Dual Pathology;