by Michael D. Anestis, M.S.
Being the nerd that I am, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the first issue of a new peer-reviewed APA journal entitled Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment. Carl Lejuez of the University of Maryland, whose work on distress tolerance has been covered on PBB on a number of occasions, serves as the editor and the editorial board features a litany of prominent researchers in this area, including Kim Gratz, Matt Nock, Eunice Chen, Stacey Daughters, David Klonsky, Shirley Yen, Scott Coffey, (PBB guest author) Scott Lilienfeld, Marsha Linehan, Tom Lynch, Chris Patrick, and many others.
The creation of a journal is not in and of itself particularly earth shattering, but there are some components of this particular journal that make it fairy unique and likely of interest to PBB readers. In a short piece published in the journal, Dr.Gratz described these components.
In each issue, beginning with the second issue, a "Target Conceptual" article will be published. This article will synthesize the literature on a particular topic and discuss weaknesses, voids, and emerging new research. The first of these articles will be contributed by Robert Krueger and Nicholas Eaton. In addition, four invited "Commentaries" about the Target Conceptual article, written by experts from varying perspectives, will be published as well. This will allow readers to see the same topic from a number of angles. The authors of the Target Conceptual article will also be given an opportunity to reply to the Commentaries, leaving readers with a total of six articles to read in this conversation.
This, on its own, is quite novel and interesting. Certainly various journals use somewhat similar methods from time to time, but this is a particularly strong effort to really expand the conversation on research and the journal plans to do this for every issue. The thing is, it doesn't stop there. These articles will also be supplemented by an open "Online Forum" in which other people, whether they are professionals or consumers, can share their thoughts, thereby creating the possibility of a wider conversation. The editor of this section, a role currently held by Dr.Gratz, will review the forum postings twice per week and then post them for viewers to read. Readers will have the opportunity to sign up for email alerts that provide them with information on content and comments.
Given the aims of PBB, we obviously think this is a tremendous idea and I am very interested in seeing how it works out for them. The more we bring people into this conversation and make discussing evidence a familiar activity, the more research will be able to have strong impact on the world of mental health.
You can explore the website for Personality Disorders: TFT by clicking here.
As of now, I am not certain whether individuals will have to subscribe to the journal to participate in the forum (although clearly you need to have computer access at a location with a subscription in order to read the articles). That being said, the phrase "open online forum" leaves me with the impression that subscriptions will not be necessary. Regardless, I think this is a fascinating endeavor and I hope that more people in this field continue to make an effort to embrace the power of the internet as a teaching tool and as a way to promote productive conversations.
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If you would like to learn more about the topics discussed on PBB, we recommend that you consult our online store for scientifically-based psychological resources.
Mike Anestis is a doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology department at Florida State University
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