Editorial

This edition presents ten compelling articles from across the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia, each contributing insights to our understanding of public mental health. They are structured around two themes: firstly, identifying mental health challenges within vulnerable and underserved populations, and secondly, exploring innovative approaches to prevention and intervention.Our first five articles examine mental health within groups that face unique social challenges or discrimination, offering directions for public health interventions.Alves and Madeira study of over 1,400 public workers in Portugal, predominantly police officers, found that they reported lower levels of mental health stigma and shame compared to the general populationThe university environment emerges as a critical focus in two complementary studies. Flemmer and colleagues surveyed over 900 US undergraduate students, revealing that STEM students and female students face elevated mental health risks. Meanwhile, Tai and colleagues examined over 2,000 Vietnamese university students, confirming higher depression rates among female students, particularly first-years. Their research highlights the protective value of friendship networks while demonstrating the harmful effects of excessive social media use.Extending beyond students to educators, Danh Le and colleagues investigated the mental health impact of excessive working hours among over 1,000 teachers across 63 Vietnamese schools. Their findings establish a clear link between weekend overtime work and deteriorating mental health – a relationship that can inform workplace interventions.Mansoori and colleagues examined mental health among transgender individuals in two Pakistani cities. Their study of 352 participants revealed that over half experience severe depression or anxiety, advocating the need for both targeted mental health support and systemic efforts to address underlying discrimination.Our second collection of five articles shifts focus toward solutions, exploring diverse approaches that span faith-based interventions, digital innovation, gender-sensitive care, collaborative frameworks and community-centred research.Matsuura and colleagues at Yale University explored an often-overlooked resource in mental health recovery: spirituality and religion. Their work with US veterans revealed that over one-third would welcome faith-based components in their recovery programs, suggesting untapped potential for holistic approaches.Digital innovation is the focus of Mwogosi’s review of how allied health professionals integrate technology into public mental health interventions. Despite challenges around accessibility and staff engagement, tools like teletherapy and mobile applications offer unprecedented opportunities for scalable, flexible support systems.Addressing gender barriers, Okafor examines how traditional masculinity concepts create obstacles to mental health service access. His analysis calls for a paradigm shift toward more inclusive, flexible and culturally responsive services that may better serve men.Tamminen and colleagues contribute a systems perspective from Finland, identifying five essential components for enhancing intersectoral collaboration in mental health promotion and prevention. Their qualitative research offers a framework with broad applicability across different public health contexts.Finally, Palmer and colleagues at MIND present a powerful oral history project documenting the lived experiences of people with mental health conditions and healthcare staff during the pandemic. While much pandemic research focused on large-scale quantitative data, this work provides invaluable qualitative insights into creativity, resilience and coping strategies that emerged during the crisis.Together, these articles demonstrate both the mental health challenges across diverse populations and the potential of innovative interventions.Lee Knifton, Editor