Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health

Editor

Patrícia M. Pascoal, PhD, Lusófona University

Guest Editors

Annamaria Giraldi MD, PhD, FECSM, Professor, Sexological Clinic, Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Mental Health Services, Copenhagen, Denmark & Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Michał Lew-Starowicz, MD, PhD, FECSM, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland

Description of the Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health

Sexual Medicine Open Access is encouraging submissions for a Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health in 2024.

The Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health welcomes original research developed with clinical or community samples that contribute to advancing knowledge about sexuality and mental health.

Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and other mental health problems have a clear relationship to disorders of sexual function and may be impediments to sexual wellness. Sexual problems may be both a cause and an effect of mental health problems and psychopathology, creating a vicious circle that may lead to a markedly diminished quality of life for patients and their partners. Management of mental health challenges is also fraught with the potential for worsening sexual concerns, as many psychotropic drugs have sexual side effects.

In this Thematic Issue, we will explore the intersection between sexuality and mental health through the publication of studies with the general and clinical populations, namely people diagnosed or at risk for mental disorders and sexual dysfunction.

The main goal of this Thematic Issue is to contribute, using scientific evidence, to more comprehensive clinical practices that acknowledge that mental health has a role in the best practices for assessment, understanding, and intervention in sexual medicine.

Topics of interest

We hope to receive works that consider contributions at the theoretical level, bring new relevant empirical knowledge, and provide guidance on clinical interventions. The manuscripts submitted can be literature reviews, theoretical essays, case reports, or empirical quantitative or qualitative research.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Impact of sexual problems on mental health
• Sexual problems as mental health problems;
• Mental health models applied to sexual problems;
• Psychopharmacology and sexuality;
• Mental health of sexually diverse people;
• Promotion of mental health of people with sexual problems;
• E-mental health and sexuality
• Intervention in sexual problems that contemplate mental health variables
• Comprehension of sexual problems and dysfunction

All submissions will go through the regular process of editorial evaluation and/or peer review; there is no guarantee of acceptance.

Important Dates

Please note that papers are published online ahead of the focus issue once the paper proofs are finalized. Thus, papers submitted earlier than the last date for paper submission will be processed and reviewed when received and published as proofs of accepted papers are finalized.

The submission deadline has been extended to September 15, 2024, but we encourage you to submit before then.

We also invite authors who wish to do so to send us an abstract of the proposed submission on or before March 15, 2024 so that we can provide prompt notice if the topic is eligible and of interest to our journal; proposals can be emailed to smeditorialoffice@gmail.com; please note that this does not guarantee acceptance. If we consider your topic of interest, you should proceed to prepare your manuscript and submit it through the Sexual Medicine author portal. During submission, please indicate in your cover letter that your manuscript is being submitted for consideration for the Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health.

Publication Information

Articles will be published online as they are ready and will be collected into a thematic collection page.

Instructions For Authors

The authors should prepare their manuscripts in strict accordance with the journal’s submission guidelines, which can be found here (https://academic.oup.com/smoa/pages/general-instructions).

The cover letter should clearly state that the submission is for the “Special Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health.”

When ready to submit, go to the journal’s submission site at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sexmed

All manuscripts will be subject to the rigorous SMOA peer-review process.

Experts will review manuscripts within the scope of the Thematic Issue for scientific merit. Manuscripts out of scope for this Thematic Issue, but within the scope of SMOA, may be considered for regular publication.

Reduced rate for publishing Open Access

Please note that OUP has publishing agreements with different institutions that may allow you to publish for free or at a reduced rate in SMOA. Please check if the contact author’s institution has an agreement with OUP:
https://academic.oup.com/pages/open-research/read-and-publish-agreements/participating-journals-and-institutions

Questions Regarding the Issue

Please direct any questions regarding the Thematic Issue or submissions to the editorial office at smeditorialoffice@gmail.com with the subject line “Thematic Issue on Sexuality and Mental Health”.