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Editorial
Social Anxiety Disorder
Richard P Swinson
(PDF)

In Review
Psychological Treatments for Social Phobia
Karen Rowa, Martin M Antony
(PDF)

In Debate
Are We Overpathologizing the Socially Anxious? Social Phobia From a Harmful Dysfunction Perspective
Jerome C Wakefield, Allan V Horwitz, Mark F Schmitz
(PDF)

Justifying the Diagnostic Status of Social Phobia: A Reply to Wakefield, Horwitz, and Schmitz Laura Campbell-Sills, Murray B Stein
(PDF)

Social Disadvantage Is Not Mental Disorder: Response to Campbell-Sills and Stein
Jerome C Wakefield, Allan V Horwitz, Mark F Schmitz
(PDF)

Original Research Validation of a Revised Visual Analog Scale for Premenstrual Mood Symptoms: Results From Prospective and Retrospective Trials
Meir Steiner, David L Streiner, BaN Pham
(PDF)

Predictors of Professional and Personal Satisfaction With a Career in Psychiatry
Paul E Garfinkel, R Michael Bagby, Deborah R Schuller, Susan E Dickens, Fiona S Schulte, MA5
(PDF)

Are Dexamethasone Suppression Test Nonsuppression and Thyroid Dysfunction Related to a Family History of Dementia in Patients With Major Depression? An Exploratory Study
Konstantinos N Fountoulakis, Stergios G Kaprinis, Apostolos Iacovides, Konstantinos Phokas, George Kaprinis
(PDF)

Prevalence of Depression and Prescriptions for Antidepressants, Bella Coola Valley, 2001
Harvey V Thommasen, Earle Baggaley, Carol Thommasen, William Zhang
(PDF)

Suicide Ideation in Different Generations of Immigrants
M Alexis Kennedy, Karen K Parhar, Joti Samra, Boris Gorzalka
(PDF)

Brief Communication
Ropinirole in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A 16-Week Pilot Study
Paolo Cassano, Lorenzo Lattanzi, Maurizio Fava, Serena Navari, Giulia Battistini, Marianna Abelli, Giovanni B Cassano
(PDF)

Nightmares and Serum Cholesterol Level: A Preliminary Report
Mehmet Yucel Agargun, Mustafa Gulec, Ali Savas Cilli, Hayrettin Kara, Ramazan Sekeroglu, Haluk Dulger, Lutfullah Besiroglu, Rifat Inci
(PDF)

Book Reviews
(PDF)

Circles of Recovery: Self-Help Organizations for Addictions
Review by
Keith Humphreys

Group Psychotherapy for Psychological Trauma.
Review by
Paul Ian Steinberg

Roadblocks in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
Review by
Irene Patelis-Siotis

Revenge of the Windigo. The Construction of the Mind and Mental Health of North American Aboriginal People.
Review by
Frank Frantisek Engelsmann

Letters to the Editor
(PDF)

Rabbit Syndrome Induced by Combined Lithium and Risperidone

Concomitance de troubles de la personnalité chez des hommes incarcérés

Case Reports as Letters Should Stay in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Reply: Case Reports as Letters Should Stay in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Letters to the Editor

Case Reports as Letters Should Stay in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Dear Editor: As a regular contributor to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, I wish to applaud your efforts to “raise the bar for publication” as well as your institution of “a rapid-publication policy” (1, p 1). However, I was surprised that “to make better use of space” you have decided to “no longer accept case reports as letters” (1, p 1). Case reports as letters to the editor take up relatively little space: in any issue, they represent at most 5 to 6 pages—the same number of pages as the average article. Other major, influential psychiatry journals with much higher impact factors publish case reports as letters; they include the American Journal of Psychiatry (2), the British Journal of Psychiatry (3), and the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (4), among others. Most important, case reports allow authors to highlight important clinical findings—especially, adverse effects of psychotropic medications—and to germinate ideas for future clinical studies. Many clinical studies actually begin as a single case report. They are interesting, and their findings are not always presentable as brief reports. One alternative is to “raise the bar” on case reports by accepting only those letters that report good data with scientific backing. Limiting the number of letters to a maximum of 2 or 3 per issue and only accepting those letters that receive very good or excellent peer reviews could also be considered as a means to retain this method of scientific communication while “making better use of space” in the CJP. I fear that the decision to “no longer accept case reports as letters” will lower the impact factor of the CJP and should at the very least be reconsidered.

References

1. Paris J. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry: new editor and new policies. Can J Psychiatry 2005;50:1.

2. American Psychiatric Association. American Journal of Psychiatry. Information for authors. Modified 2004 May 13. Available: http://ajp. psychiatryonline.org/misc/ifora.shtml. Accessed 2005 January 19.

3. Royal College of Psychiatrists. British Journal of Psychiatry. Instructions for authors. Available: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/misc/ifora.shtml. Accessed 2005 January 19.

4. Physicians Postgraduate Press. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Information for authors. Available: http://www.psychiatrist.com/author.htm. Accessed 2005 January 19.

Howard C Margolese, MD, CM, MSc, FRCPC
Montreal, Quebec