A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health will publish research articles, review articles, short communications, editorial opinions, and service descriptions that advance strategies, services, methods, and interventions to help people with serious mental illness or substance use disorders become meaningful, fully integrated members of their communities.
People with serious mental illness or substance use disorders often lose social networks and community support, which can worsen health outcomes and shorten lifespan. Stigmatization and community exclusion can also increase reliance on mental health services while distancing people from the lives they seek.
Strengthening community integration—such as access to housing, employment, primary healthcare, and other essential resources—is critical to improving quality of life and life expectancy. Recovery-oriented approaches, including peer support, have shown promise by fostering social relationships and networks.
Despite these efforts, indicators such as unemployment among those who want to work, housing instability, low income, poverty, reduced life expectancy, poorer quality of life, and barriers to healthcare and other social factors show that many people with serious mental illness or substance use disorders are still far from full community integration.
Manuscript Submission Information
- How to submit: Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering/logging in and using the submission form.
- Deadline: Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline (as listed on the special issue page).
- Peer review: All submissions that pass the pre-check will undergo single-blind peer review.
- Publication model: Accepted papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and listed together on the Special Issue website.
- Article types invited: Research articles, review articles, and short communications (as well as editorials/service descriptions, as appropriate).
- Planned submissions: Authors may send a proposed title and short abstract (~250 words) to the Editorial Office for assessment.
- Originality: Submissions must not have been published previously or be under consideration elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers).
- Author guidance: Please consult the journal’s Instructions for Authors before submitting.
- APC: 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs).
- Language/formatting: Manuscripts should be well formatted and written in strong English; MDPI’s English editing service may be used prior to submission or during revisions.
-- Drs. Mark Costa and Megan Evans, guest editors