Submission Due Date: 30 September 2024

Guest Editors: 

• Erika Comasco, Uppsala University, Sweden
• C. Neill Epperson, University of CO-Anschutz Medical Campus, USA
• Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash University, Australia

Rationale: 

Ovarian hormone variations, such as those occurring during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, and the menopausal transition, mark significant phases in a person’s life. These periods are recognized as windows of vulnerability for psychiatric disorders. Moreover, hormonal contraceptives and replacement therapy are used by millions without a comprehensive understanding of their effects on mental health. As clinicians and researchers, we frequently encounter astonishment from patients, journalists, and opinion leaders regarding the knowledge gaps in women’s mental health, especially during some of the most valued and crucial life stages.

At the intersection of the endocrine and nervous systems, ovarian hormones exert influence beyond the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, impacting gene expression, neurotransmission, neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and neuronal function throughout the brain. These hormones readily cross the blood-brain barrier, with their nuclear and membrane receptors widely distributed in brain areas relevant to emotion and cognition. Acknowledging this functional interplay and transcending sex differences in psychiatry, attention is drawn to women’s mental health, emphasizing the need for sex-specific approaches across research, medicine and community initiatives. This themed issue seeks to inform practitioners and researchers about current knowledge, challenges, and developments of relevance to women’s mental health.

Suggested scope and topics: 

We welcome submissions of original research, systematic reviews, and editorials. Contributions offering definitive evidence with robust methodologies, including external validation and/or large samples, are encouraged. Analysis pieces on novel clinical applications, repurposing trials, clinical utility of advanced techniques and electronic health records, digital technologies’ role in preventive programs, personalised medicine, efficacy of preventative programs and cost-benefit assessment of screening are solicited. Topics of interest include:

• Mental health in women during the reproductive age - a neglected area
• Historical perspectives on women´s mental health
• Sensitivity to activational effects of ovarian hormone as a diagnostic category
• Cognitive-affective functioning throughout the menstrual cycle
• Premenstrual dysphoric syndrome and its treatment
• Premenstrual exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms - from misdiagnosis to management
• Impact of hormonal contraception on mental health
• Sex steroid modulation of mood trajectories in pregnancy and postpartum
• The mother´s brain and mental health
• Neurosteroidal treatment of peripartum depression and beyond
• Influence of early menopause on mental health
• Mental health during the menopausal transition
• Effect of hormone replacement therapy on mood and cognition
• Biomarkers of women-specific psychiatric disorders
• Non-pharmacological interventions for susceptibility to ovarian hormones fluctuations
• Socioeconomic impact of distress from ovarian hormone fluctuations
• Negative vs. positive outcomes triggered by ovarian hormone fluctuations
• Practical insights from and for the social welfare and healthcare providers addressing women-specific needs
• New perspectives in women’s reproductive mental health

To find out more, or to inform us of your intention to submit, please contact bjp@rcpsych.ac.uk.

Why submit?

• Submissions handled and reviewed efficiently by experts in the field
• All papers in the themed issue will be free to view for a month
• All authors will have the option to publish their article online shortly after acceptance
• The themed issue is made available to over 18,000 RCPsych members, and will be heavily marketed globally
• Articles in the previous themed issue were downloaded 18,000 times over the first six months, with an average of 890 downloads per article.