Entering the 14th Year: The AJGP Continues to Grow

Abstract

T he American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (AJGP) completed 13 years of its existence last month, and now begins its 14 year. In human life, teenagers are among the most challenging periods of life. For the AJGP, however, these are exciting times. Starting in 1992 as a small quarterly with about 60 submissions per year, the AJGP has now grown into a monthly publication with well over 250 submissions annually, and has become the highest-impact geriatric journal with international outreach. Reflecting the rapid growth of the field of geriatric psychiatry, not just the number but also the quality of submissions has improved appreciably. The breadth and depth of the development can be seen in the varied themes and special sections featured by the AJGP over the last few years—including different disorders such as late-life depression, Alzheimer disease, psychoses, anxiety disorders, and alcoholism, as well as diverse areas of research such as interventions research, bioethics, translational research, ethnic minorities, services research, sleep, and caregiving, to name a few. This issue of the Journal heralds another important change. The AJGP now has a new publisher—Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW). It is interesting to note that this company too had a modest beginning. From a Philadelphia bookstall opened during the presidency of George Washington in 1792, a small book publisher has now grown to be one of the largest publishers in the English-speaking world. LWW is a leading international publisher of professional health information for physicians, nurses, specialized clinicians, and students. Among the new initiatives that will be launched in the next few months by our partnership with LWW are on-line publishing ahead of print, and expanded versions of printed papers being made available on-line. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our previous publisher, the American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. (APPI) which published the AJGP since its inception in 1992. It is fitting that we are beginning the new year with a Special Section on Successful Aging. Geriatric psychiatry is not confined to mental illnesses and disabilities associated with old age, but also includes healthy or successful aging. Not only are people living longer, but many of them are also living highly functional lives in old age, sometimes in spite of physical diseases. Recent basic science research shows strong evidence of neuroplasticity of aging in the presence of stimulating environment. Geriatric psychiatry needs to work with the “successful agers” to understand the processes underlying healthy aging, and to develop interventions for enhancing the likelihood of this outcome in the population at large. I believe that the AJGP is growing successfully too, thanks to ongoing support from our readers, authors, reviewers, and editorial board members. The best days for the AJGP and for the field of geriatric psychiatry are ahead of us.