The Lancet Psychiatry

The Lancet Psychiatry
Title	The Lancet Psychiatry
Discipline	Psychiatry
Abbreviation	Lancet Psychiatry
Editor	Unspecified
Publisher	Elsevier
History	2014–present
Frequency	Monthly
Impact	High

The Lancet Psychiatry is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal focusing on psychiatric research, clinical practice, and policy. Founded in 2014, it is published by Elsevier and forms part of the Lancet family alongside The Lancet and related specialty titles such as The Lancet Oncology and The Lancet Neurology. The journal publishes original research, reviews, commentaries, and correspondence that intersect with institutions like World Health Organization, National Institute of Mental Health (United States), Royal College of Psychiatrists, and topics linked to events such as the 2014 Ebola outbreak and crises like the Syrian civil war.

History

The journal was launched in 2014 amid expansions of the Elsevier portfolio, following precedent set by titles including The Lancet Infectious Diseases and The Lancet Oncology. Early issues addressed global public health priorities highlighted by organizations like United Nations and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, with contributions from researchers affiliated with Harvard University, University of Oxford, King's College London, Columbia University, and University of Toronto. Its development paralleled contemporary initiatives such as the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health and collaborations involving the Wellcome Trust and National Institutes of Health. Key editorial milestones involved themed issues responding to events like the 2015 European migrant crisis and projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Scope and Content

The journal covers clinical psychiatry, epidemiology, neurosciences, health policy, and global mental health, often intersecting with institutions and fields represented by American Psychiatric Association, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, European Psychiatric Association, World Health Organization, and agencies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Articles frequently engage with disorders and conditions studied at centers like Massachusetts General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Maudsley Hospital, and research programs at Broad Institute and Karolinska Institutet. Content types include randomized trials with methodology linked to CONSORT, systematic reviews referencing PRISMA, meta-analyses citing work from Cochrane Collaboration, and translational neuroscience drawing on findings from National Institute of Mental Health (United States), Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and Max Planck Society. The journal also publishes commentaries on policy debates involving World Bank, G20, European Union, and legal frameworks such as Mental Health Act 1983 and international instruments like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Editorial Leadership and Peer Review

Editorial leadership has featured editors drawn from institutions including University College London, Yale University, University of Cambridge, McGill University, and University of Melbourne. The journal employs external peer review consistent with standards used by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, with reviewers from professional bodies such as American Psychiatric Association, Royal College of Psychiatrists, and research funders like National Institutes of Health and Wellcome Trust. Editorial processes parallel practices at journals like JAMA Psychiatry, BMJ, Nature Medicine, and The New England Journal of Medicine, emphasizing disclosure policies comparable to guidelines by Committee on Publication Ethics. Publication ethics and conflicts of interest are managed in line with standards from World Association of Medical Editors.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, alongside listings in bibliographic services such as Embase and aggregators used by institutions like Harvard Medical School and Yale School of Medicine. Its articles receive citation tracking via platforms including Google Scholar, CrossRef, and analytics used by funding agencies like National Institutes of Health and Wellcome Trust. Institutional repositories at universities such as Oxford University and University of California mirror indexing practices common to titles published by Elsevier and aggregated by consortia like Jisc.

Reception and Impact

The journal has been cited in policy documents by World Health Organization, guidelines by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and reports from United Nations agencies, influencing debates involving G20 health agendas and global mental health priorities. It has published high-profile pieces by researchers affiliated with Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, and Karolinska Institutet, contributing to citation networks involving Nature, Science, and The Lancet. Its impact factor and altmetric attention are monitored by bodies such as Clarivate Analytics and seen in media coverage from outlets like BBC News, The New York Times, and The Guardian.

Controversies and Criticisms

Critiques have addressed editorial decisions, conflict-of-interest disclosures tied to pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson, and debates over publication of industry-funded trials reminiscent of controversies in journals like JAMA, The Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine. The journal has faced scrutiny related to peer-review transparency and reproducibility issues similar to disputes seen around studies from institutions including University of California, Los Angeles and Duke University. Responses have involved policy updates mirroring measures adopted by Committee on Publication Ethics and reforms advocated by groups such as OPEN Science proponents and funders like Wellcome Trust.

Category:Psychiatry journals