Mental Health Theme Issue
Call for Papers
- Richard M. Glass, MD
- Author Affiliations: Dr Glass (richard.glass@jama-archives.org) is Deputy Editor, JAMA. Dr Glass is also with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- MENTAL HEALTH
In 1990, then-President George H. W. Bush issued a proclamation designating the 1990s as the Decade of the Brain to encourage brain research and also to enhance public awareness of the benefits to be derived from brain research.1 This formal recognition of the importance of increasing both scientific knowledge and public understanding about the organ that is the site of emotion and cognition and the controller of most bodily functions was a fitting way to end the 20th century, and few would question that knowledge about brain structure and function has increased remarkably.
However, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, mental disorders continue to be a major public health problem throughout the world, making a substantial independent contribution to the burden of disease worldwide.2 Mental disorders are a major cause of long-term disability and also interact with other health conditions as risk factors …
