New academic journal focuses on mental health

The first local Journal of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry will be launched soon and aims to create a discussion on local mental health issues.

The journal, created by the Gibraltar Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry Society, includes research-led articles and it is hoped it will be the first of many.

The society aims for this to be a quarterly publication and invites former service users to detail their experiences of therapy.

Each journal will feature a different theme, with the first edition based on ‘insomnia’.

A team of professionals teamed up last year with the interest of developing a forum to discuss mental health issues.

Later the idea of a journal was planted in a way to develop services and enhance academic study locally.

“We thought of including all the people that practice in different sectors of the health care world, but also lawyers or prison officers. Anywhere we have some sort of contact are welcome to have a voice in the journal and that’s everyone including the service users,” said Clinical Psychologist Gustavo Camino.

“We want a space where everybody is welcome.”

“The problem with mental health is the stigma. People feel isolated and we want to create that space where people can talk.”

Consultant Psychiatrist David Pariente was one of the key organisers behind the society and journal.

He told the Chronicle that there are too many people being admitted for mental health problems.

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