«Sports Psychiatry»

Sports psychiatry is an emerging medical discipline of the two psychiatric fields: child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry. Sports medicine combines the sports-specific knowledge of various medical disciplines. Therefore, sports psychiatry should be established (i) as a subspecialty of psychiatry, (ii) in the field of sports medicine and (iii) in close cooperation with paramedical disciplines such as clinical psychology, sports psychology, and sports and exercise science.

Today, physical activity in prevention and therapy of mental illnesses as well as mental health issues in competitive sports are established areas in sports psychiatry. Other frequently considered areas of interest for sports psychiatry are sports-specific mental diseases in popular sports.

Launch of a Journal for Sports Psychiatry

Up to this date there is no corresponding journal. This fact renders it difficult to publish articles in the fields of sports psychiatry as well as making them visible to the proper target group.

The aim of the Swiss Society for Sports Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SSSPP) is not to create a member journal, but an international journal and thus aiming at the greatest possible visibility and dissemination of publications in all aspects of sports psychiatry. Accordingly, the journal’s contents will be international, as will be its Editorial Board.

With the launch of the journal, the Editorial Board will be filled with renowned international clinical and scientific professionals in the field of sports psychiatry. Likewise, the various networks and societies for sports psychiatry will be approached for support of the journal.

Aims and Scope

«Sports Psychiatry» is an international open access, peer-reviewed journal providing a platform for advances in all aspects of sports psychiatry, including but not limited to the diagnosis, management, therapy, and prevention of mental disorders in competitive and popular sports, as well as to physical activity in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders.

The journal’s aim is to publish high-quality original research articles, consensus statements, meta-analyses, reviews, editorials, and commentaries for a wide audience of healthcare professionals and researchers interested in the field of sports psychiatry. «Sports Psychiatry» is the first journal in this field.

Key Data of the Journal

«Sports Psychiatry» will be an open access publication; the rights will be held by Hogrefe Publishing, as part of its journal portfolio.

Target Audience: Sports psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, adult psychiatrists, sports physicians, pediatricians and general practitioners, clinical psychologists, sports psychologists, mental trainers and other professional coaches, physical therapists and sports physical therapists, sports scientists, other disciplines, plus sports organizations and associations

Scope: 4 issues with 5-6 articles plus editorial. [Note: As the journal is being established, abandoning the issue structure will be considered and articles be published continually.]

Language: English

Editor in Chief: Malte Christian Claussen, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Associate Editor: Andres Ricardo Schneeberger, Psychiatric Services Grisons, Chur, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, USA

Associate Editor: Markus Gerber, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Switzerland

Launch of the Journal

The journal website has been launched in July 2021: https://www.hogrefe.com/ch/zeitschrift/sports-psychiatry .

The first issue is scheduled for January 2022, containing abstracts for the International Conference on Sports Psychiatry ICSP, which will take place Jan 14-15, 2022 in Zurich: kongress.sgspp.ch/2022/en/ .