From the Editor-in-Chief's Desk.

Abstract

Journal of Child and Adolescent PsychopharmacologyVol. 33, No. 5 EditorialFree AccessFrom the Editor-in-Chief's DeskHarold S. KoplewiczHarold S. KoplewiczHarold S. Koplewicz, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Child Mind Institute, New York, New York, USA.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 Jun 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2023.29240.editorialAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail To Our Readers:This issue includes an important review addressing exclusionary practices in our field, which authors Ruiz et al. note “have culminated in the wide under-representation of diverse groups (e.g., racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender minorities) in psychological research.” The authors note that “the American Psychological Association (2019) has emphasized the importance of including participants from diverse backgrounds in research studies, including investigations of medication efficacy.” A separate brief report looks at comorbid diagnoses in “an urban, ethnically diverse group of children with autism.” Elsewhere, two articles address the use of central nervous system stimulants in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: one in the United States and the other in the Netherlands.I would like to turn first to the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's most recent advisory calling the nation's attention to the effects of social media on youth mental health, including areas requiring additional research. As clinician-researchers, we have dedicated our careers to understanding developing brains. This is a moment for the scientific community to come together worldwide to better understand a potential widespread threat to child and adolescent development. I encourage all to lend expertise to these research efforts.The surgeon general also urged collaboration, both among researchers and between researchers and other experts—a powerful reminder of the importance of coordinating to maximize the speed and impact of our work. At the Child Mind Institute, we are driving a global movement toward open science. We believe that freely sharing data, conclusions, and innovations is the fastest way to reach scientific breakthroughs that will transform children's lives, and we applaud the surgeon general's emphasis on collaboration. Working together, we can help protect children and adolescents from the potential harmful aspects of social media and amplify the beneficial effects of technology on their well-being.In this issue, “An Investigation of Diversity in Childhood and Adolescent Antidepressant Studies: A Systematic Review,” from Ruiz et al., provides relevant guidance for all researchers. The surgeon general's advisory urges technology companies and researchers alike to keep “in mind the needs of girls, racial, ethnic, and sexual and gender minorities.” The review by Ruiz et al. “addresses a gap in the literature by supporting a lack of diversity in studies examining antidepressant use in children and adolescents.”As the authors highlight, antidepressants are being prescribed to children and adolescents at an increased rate, and “this review revealed a general lack of studies reporting on the efficacy and tolerability of these medications in children. Furthermore, this review revealed the lack of gender and race diversity represented in the literature regarding antidepressant use with children and adolescents.”I hope you enjoy this issue and go on to read the surgeon general's advisory with an eye for how we, as child and adolescent mental health clinician researchers, can all contribute to the crucial burgeoning field of research around social media and youth mental health.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 33Issue 5Jun 2023 InformationCopyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Harold S. Koplewicz.From the Editor-in-Chief's Desk.Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.Jun 2023.163-163.http://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2023.29240.editorialPublished in Volume: 33 Issue 5: June 16, 2023PDF download