Editorial: Evidence in the real world – the need for context and the gender gap
Bernadka Dubicka
Abstract
We are in a competitive, burgeoning market for journals and currently in a transition to open access publications, with the aim of making research more widely accessible. Where is the place for practice-based journals in this new and evolving world of publishing? The recent growth of CAMH in terms of Impact Factor, downloads and submissions suggests there is a need for such journals. Professionals are swamped with research findings, often contradictory, sometimes inflammatory, with little time to explore the meaning of these findings within the real world. This editorial reflects on the need for academics and practitioners to be able to debate the evidence base within the real world context (or to consider the lack of it) to inform practice and policy, and also on the importance of providing a platform for topics that are current and/or controversial. Recent contributions to CAMH are highlighted, namely the perceived gender gap in research on emotional disorders in women and girls, and the need for an ethical data sharing framework for academics to investigate the potential harms and benefits of technology. CAMH will continue to ask questions, and aim to remain relevant by focusing on both the evidence and real world context, in order to inform best practice and policy decisions.
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Editor in Chief, Bernadka is currently Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Child and Adolescent Faculty since 2017, working to promote the mental wellbeing of young people and their families. Further, she is a Consultant Psychiatrist at Pennine Care Foundation Trust, involved with leading the research unit, has been an advisor to the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment panel, and has also served as principle investigator in one of the largest international psychological treatment trials in adolescent depression – Improving Mood with Psychoanalytic and Cognitive Therapies (IMPACT).