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The article focuses on the scientific advances and clinical challenges concerning the study of the psychiatric genetics. Topics discussed include the identification of genetic risk loci and the polygenic nature of psychiatric illnesses, information on affordable technologies that are available to perform large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs), and understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying heritability.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including the earlier large clinical trials for major depression and schizophrenia; evidence for the efficacy of cariprazine; and the influences of genetic variation in determining clozapine plasma levels.

The article discusses several articles featured in the previous issues of the "American Journal of Psychiatry" on 2016. Among the articles include "A Compounding Mental Health Crisis: Reflections From the Greek Experience With Syrian Refugees," "All-cause mortality in women with severe postpartum psychiatric disorders," and "An individualized risk calculator for research in prodromal psychosis."

An editorial is presented on the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in plasticity process mediation associated with the effectiveness of ketamine as an antidepressant. Investigated are behavioral responses linked with depressive symptoms in rodents. Also explored is the interaction between ligands and their receptor systems.

An editorial is presented which discusses 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) which is a genomic disorders linked with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Topics include increased risk for developing psychosis and schizophrenia associated with 22q11.2 region; excess of exonic duplications associated with a nervous system phenotype gene set in cases with schizophrenia; and use of 22q11.2 deletion for study of disrupted cellular functions and circuits associated with emergence of psychosis.

The article provides information on the effects of mental stress, depression and anxiety disorder on pregnancy and prenatal period. Particular focus is given to the risk factors of psychiatric disorders and maternal mortality, drug overdose, and untreated depression. Other topics addressed include patient safety healthcare program initiated by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Academy of Pediatrics.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including posttraumatic stress disorder, social network analysis, and autologistic actor attribute model (ALAAM).

The authors reflect on the study "Long-term effects of evidence-based supported employment on earnings and on SSI and SSDI participation among individuals with psychiatric disabilities," by J. A. Cook, J. K. Burke-Miller, and E. Roessel. Topics include reduction of financial dependency on the Social Security Administration (SSA) by people with psychiatric disabilities, benefits of supported employment, and role of competitive work in recovering from mental disorders.

An editorial is presented on a study conducted by the researcher K.A. Phillips on prevention of deterioration after disease and requirement of pharmaceutical research on body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Topics discussed include classification of BDD as an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorder, presentation of selective efficacy of treatment response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and study of pharmacotherapy continuation and discontinuation in patients with (BDD).

An editorial is presented which discusses the innate predisposition to depression which is heritable and influenced by early life experience. Topic discussed include use a composite genotype score with measures of child abuse to ask whether genetic and environmental risk factors interact; findings of a depression polygenic risk score from a genome-wide association study captured very less of the heritability of depression; and the correction of an endocrine abnormality, and the relief of pain.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles within the journal on topics including the use of ketamine as an antidepressant, diagnosis for depression and predictors of its treatment outcome.

An editorial is presented on the study conducted by Jha and colleagues on levels of irritability among depressed patients. Mentioned is the use of assessment technique on delivery of treatments in patients. Also noted are findings from the brain imaging conducted in children who experienced related emotional problems.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the interaction between cognitive and biological processes, the remediation of mechanisms underlying the cognitive dysfunctions, and the cognitive remediation in severely ill patients.

An editorial is presented which explores a bidirectional relationship between insomnia and psychiatric disorders with evidence supporting insomnia's contribution to the development of disorders including depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse. The development of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia in Internet-based formats to increase accessibility to patients in need because of factors such as cost and shortage of trained providers is tackled.

The article discusses clinical schizophrenia, stating that one or two percent diagnosed patients have a microstructural chromosomal abnormality resulting in either a deletion or duplication.

An introduction is presented in which the author talks about serving the role of Editor-in-Chief for the journal, increased societal acceptance of mental illness, and on developing new treatment paradigms.

The article discusses the relationship between white matter microstructure and long-term medication exposure. It mentions about impact of antipsychotics on cerebral white matter; producing and maintaining myelin within the central nervous system; and approaches for the treatment of schizophrenia, and symptoms of the same.

The article discusses societal impact of substance use disorder treatment. Topics discussed include prevalence of clinical trials for the treatment for a specific disorder, association of naltrexone with fewer substance-related accidental overdoses, association of Buprenorphine for opioid use disorder with a lower risk of substance-related accidental overdose and effective services for substance use disorder treatment.

The article discusses how societal developments, the role of psychiatry and the euthanasia act are some of the reasons for widespread public support in the Netherlands for the legalization of euthanasia. According to the author, psychiatrists currently focus on augmenting quality of life for patients with psychiatric disorders, rather than just treating their symptoms.

An editorial is presented on the study which examined the association between pharmacological treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and consequences related to substance use disorders. It states that the findings from the study should be seen within the context of a literature on the relationship of stimulants and other drug treatments for ADHD and the risk for substance use disorders.

An editorial is presented on synapses in chronic schizophrenics. It discusses the negative opinion held by neurologists like Frederick Plum, the reduction in cortical volume and increase in ventricular size in patients suffering from schizophrenia, and interpretation of synaptic pathology. It also talks about reduced immature spine density and analyzes synaptic structures.

An editorial is presented on the controlled trials conducted to study treatment-naive patients suffering with depression. The study was conducted on depressed outpatients with cognitive-behavioral therapy, escitalopram and duloxetine who were compared using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. It talks about patients choosing between medication and psychotherapy while receiving treatment for depression.

The author discusses the study conducted by MG McDonell and colleagues on the role of contingency management in improving the outcomes of treating alcohol use in adults with serious mental illness. The author cites several reasons why the study was important including the use of ethyl glucuronide as alcohol abstinence biomarker, the inclusion of participants with mental health diagnoses and its considerable clinical import.

The author reflects on the influence of social and environmental adversity on ethe risk of developing schizophrenia, focusing on a study of the incidence of young adults with first-episode psychosis in England by Kirkbride and colleagues within the issue. She discusses the findings of the study which revealed the association of extremes of social and environmental adversity with increased risk of nonaffective psychoses like schizophrenia.

The author discusses a study by M. L. O'Donnell and colleagues which provided a partial solution to the adjustment disorder that has been moved to the trauma- and stressor-related disorders chapter of book "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder" Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Topics mentioned include the use of conglomerate of measures to address the problem with adjustment disorder, the prescription for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the administration of antipsychotics.

An editorial is presented in which the author discusses risk factor associated with suicide attempt for completed suicide. Topics discussed include need of assessing the lethality of suicidal acts, risk of repeating a suicide attempt in the time shortly after the index attempt, and suicide as a causes of death.

The author reflects on the article "Offspring of depressed parents: 30 years later," by M. M. Weissman and colleagues, regarding the effects of parental depression on the mental health of children. Topics mentioned include the social aspects of mental depression, the suicidal behavior of depressed people, and the higher rates of depression and anxiety to children with depressed parents.

The article focuses on study conducted by the researcher S.J. Cozza on finding bereavement-related diagnostic criteria. Topics discussed include observation of abnormal grief reaction, expectations to get benefit from psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, or both in case of bereavement-related reactions for more than one year and comparison between performance of persistent complex bereavement disorder diagnostic criteria with those of both prolonged grief disorder and complicated grief.

An editorial is presented on a study conducted by the researcher L.W. Hyde and co-authors on risk of callous-unemotional behavior that can be treated from positive build up by parent or not. Topics discussed include reduced biological risk for early unemotional behavior by positive reinforcement from mother, contraction in expression of risk through protective environmental factors and understanding development of unemotional behavior shaped by biological and environmental risk.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including alcohol use disorder, use of cannabis and substance use disorder.