For graduate medical education trainees, previous publication record predicts future research productivity.1 However, it may not always be straightforward for psychiatric trainees or early career researchers to create output and publish it. Even when the numerous barriers to getting involved in research are tackled, the results do not always see the light of day in a publication.2 There could be various reasons contributing to this, including high article processing fees for open-access journals, complicated submission processes, and potential editorial biases against those at the beginning of their careers. The result could be that trainees struggle to showcase their research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
This editorial marks the official publication of the first issue of the European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees, which has been created to address the exact issues relayed above from a publisher’s end and support psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists to disseminate their research. It is the culmination of more than a year’s hard work involving many challenges.
In starting this project, we intended to improve and stimulate communication among psychiatric trainees, psychiatrists, psychiatric educators, other clinicians, researchers, and advocates in psychiatry and mental health. Therefore, do not be misled by the name of the journal: While this is a journal with psychiatric trainees firmly at the centre, the European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees will publish a wide range of mental health papers from all relevant authors, including - but not limited to - psychiatric trainees.
Our mission is clear: to encourage research on psychiatric training and inspire the scientific engagement of psychiatric trainees. Aiming to be part of the solution to the various barriers to publishing for psychiatric trainees, we set up a journal that would be approachable for trainees with an Editorial Board comprising psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists, as well as eminent psychiatric researchers. This endows the Journal with a unique mix of enthusiasm and experience, providing an ideal setting for learning new skills of its junior editors and a stable foundation for the Journal’s growth in the future.
The European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees is an Open Access, peer-reviewed journal that will publish original and innovative research as well as clinical, theory, perspective, policy, and review articles in psychiatric training, psychiatry, and mental health. In so doing, the journal will accept submissions ranging from original research articles and reviews to more specific sections for “Education and Training” or “Cultural, Professional and Experiential Reflections”. In keeping with the ethos of being an accessible publication, the submission process is rather straightforward, with all information available on the “For Authors” page and a minimal article processing fee.
Based on these principles, our first issue comprises five articles, including this editorial, which reflect the wide range of interests and challenges of psychiatric trainees in various formats. Therefore, by way of introduction to the first issue, we now present a summary of the included articles:
Case report
We believe it is important to publish well-written case reports as they serve as an achievable start in publishing for any trainee or early career psychiatrist and are good additions to scientific literature. In “Fluoxetine misuse by snorting in a teenager: a case report”,3 we read about an unusual case of snorting fluoxetine in a 15-year-old, which is a very seldom reported drug misuse, if at all. The report also highlights the potential assessment and management strategies that could be implemented to avoid or detect similar presentations in young people.
Original research
In line with our mission and vision, the original research article in our first issue, “Slackening of COVID-19 social isolation measures and resilience in young adults: a longitudinal study on medium-term effects on loneliness”,4 is a trainee-led multicenter research project. In this study, the researchers investigated the association between young adults’ pre-lockdown mental health needs and the level of loneliness following the relaxation of social isolation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in two European countries. The article reports on important conclusions about predicting loneliness-related outcomes, how at-risk young adults can be identified, and support strategies to mediate social isolation-related loneliness. This article is not only highly relevant, as we are still experiencing the detrimental aftermath impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a great example of psychiatric trainees designing, conducting, and publishing quality research.
Viewpoint
The viewpoint article “Lessons from a failed research project: what’s in a name”5 comes from the collaborative work of a psychiatric trainee and trainer, and summarises the experience of an inconclusive research project, despite the support of a well-established research setting and clinical resources. This is an important reminder to our readers that research is not about positive results, and there are many valuable lessons and skills to be learnt from the so-called “failed” attempts. In addition, the article highlights the ability to critically reflect on past experiences to guide the next project as a core asset for early career researchers.
Cultural, Professional and Experiential Reflections
The “Cultural, Professional and Experiential Reflections” section provides the opportunity to learn from experts, services and projects and features articles written in an easy-to-read and engaging style. In his article, Prof. Dr. Johannes Hebebrand reflects on his career journey; as a very prominent and respected figure in the field of eating disorders, his experiences can be of great value for those starting a career in psychiatry. “Looking back: linking my past experience as a trainee to the pursuit of a hypothesis to improve the treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa”6 presents a candid and impressive depiction of the journey taken by Prof. Dr. Hebebrand from its very beginning as a curious trainee to the present day scientist whose work has been cited over 20 000 times. This article also gives insight into recent research on the novel metreleptin treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa.
The European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees is a passion project committed to high standards of scientific excellence. The wider its reach, the better its content and values will be represented. We believe and wish that this will have a direct positive impact on the career trajectory of the psychiatric trainees and all other authors publishing in it. We hope our readers find this first issue informative and inspiring and will support our stance by promoting the European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees.