[Commlist] Special Issue Call for Papers -- Mental Health and Communication

***Special Issue: Mental health and Communication ***

*Editors: Mark D. Griffiths (Nottingham Trent University) and
Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez (University of Barcelona).


*Journal: BiD (_https://bid.ub.edu/en <https://bid.ub.edu/en>_)

**Open Access – No Article Processing Charges**

**Indexed at – Scopus (Q4 in Library and Information Sciences) and Web 
of Science – Emerging Sources Citation Index**

**Timeline**

Full Papers Submission: November 15th, 2023 (deadline is expected to be 
extented until 15th January 2024)


Publication: The accepted papers will be published by July 2024.

Call for papers

In recent decades, mental health has evolved from being an invisible 
attribute of human beings to being recognized as a visible and central 
part of their overall health. Once hidden away in 
order to avoid stigma and negative social judgement, 
today many people speak openly about their mental health issues and 
feel safer about publicly expressing their psychological distress. As a 
result, society as a whole is gaining a 
better understanding of how vulnerable humans are to mental 
health suffering, and 
of the importance of adequately addressing these issues, 
devoting sufficient resources to them, and 
using empirically validated data for their study.

A significant feature of mental 
health is its interaction with communication, 
especially via traditional and new media platforms. In this regard, 
mental health communication can be conceptualized as a 
two-way mechanism. First, individuals struggling with mental 
health issues receive mental 
health-related communications from institutions, governments, 
traditional media (news, television programs, etc.), and from social 
media platforms, to name but a few sources. Conversely, 
these same individuals are also producers of mental 
health communication as they share their thoughts and 
concerns via interpersonal and social media platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, 
Instagram). These and other dynamics have mitigated the loneliness and 
feeling of not being listened to suffered by many people with mental 
health issues, and, especially among young people, have helped to reduce 
or eliminate the idea that mental health conversations are taboo. 
Failure to address these issues adequately has 
contributed to the dissemination of inaccurate information and 
representations of mental health, and 
to the proliferation of pseudo-scientific approaches to treating mental 
health that are not based on any empirical evidence. 
The resulting picture is a confusing one.

This special issue aims to provide a 
map of the intersection between communication and mental health. From a 
holistic perspective, 
we welcome papers from any remit of communication and mental 
health that can help to deepen our understanding of the field and 
its associated disciplines. Although the list below is not exclusive, 
the special issue can consider the following approaches and 
topics of interest:


  *

    Online harassment and mental health

  *

    Self-image, self-esteem, and communication practices

  *

    The effective communication of mental heath

  *

    Effective strategies in communication to prevent mental health issues

  *

    Critical and systematic reviews regarding any aspect of mental
    health and communication

  *

    Addictions and mental health:
    advertising tactics to promote addiction and resistance strategies.

  *

    Social media influencers and mental health.

  *

    Between retention and addiction: digital platforms, user design, and
    the maximization of the time on devices.

  *

    Intimacy and privacy on social media and
    its relationship with mental wellbeing.

  *

    The representation of mental health issues in media products.



**Submission Instructions**

Authors are invited to submit contributions containing original 
research, conceptual papers, literature reviews, or case studies, on the 
theme of mental health and communication. Please check the submission 
guidelines of BID for clarity regarding the process and requirements for 
submissions. BID accepts contributions written in English, Spanish, and 
Catalan. All accepted papers will be translated (free of charge for the 
authors) into Catalan, Spanish and English. The recommended length for 
published papers is about 6,000 words (including references) but longer 
papers might be accepted.

Submission must be carried out by emailing guest editor 
Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez ((hibailopez /at/ ub.edu)).

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