Goldman ML, Swartz MS, Norquist GS, et al. Building Bridges Between Evidence and Policy in Mental Health Services Research: Introducing the Policy Review Article Type. Psychiatr Serv. 2022;73(10):1165-1168. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.202100428
This special article summarizes the rationale for developing a new article type that is available for submissions in Psychiatric Services. Given the increase in individuals seeking mental health services, ensuring the appropriate use of research to develop and implement policies to fill this growing need is critical. When evidence-based practices are used to inform mental health policies, the mental health policies are often better received and maintained. Housing current evidence on mental health interventions, especially the rapidly growing digital mental health interventions literature, in one central location, will aid in bridging the gap between evidence and mental health policy development. In addition, centralizing mental health policy and related research is key to improving policy adoption, uncovering necessary policy alterations, and following implementation success after the initial implementation. To promote this centralization and further The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 Psychiatric Services launched a new article type. This latest article type, the Policy Review, is available for submissions and asks authors to define and explain current knowledge, limitations, or potential implications for policy of a behavioral health systems topic that is relevant to current, planned, or desired policy. The increase in policymaker openness to research findings makes this an ideal time to develop research-backed policy recommendations, explain potential benefits and drawbacks of policies that have yet to be implemented, and find gaps in existing policies. The authors end with a call to action for submissions, expressing how these articles will advance the use and development of evidence-based policies for mental health.
Note: as of August 2024, Policy Review articles are still being accepted and published in Psychiatric Services