January, 2024. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice. At the risk of “tooting our own horn,” we thought we’d celebrate that milestone a bit. Initially called the Journal of Practical Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, the Founding Editor was Allen Frances, a distinguished leader in American psychiatry. In Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1995, Allen’s first Editorial was entitled “Why a New Journal?” Here’s how he answered his question: “We hope to offer our readers a journal vastly different from and much more useful than everything currently available. Our articles and columns are written by top experts in the field in a format and style that will be immediately pertinent to your work with your next patient.” The journal quickly flourished, delivering on its promise, with review articles by clinical experts in the field, along with special features such as regular columns on psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, law and psychiatry, and other timely topics, as well as a unique section called Practitioner’s Corner, allowing flexible content pertinent to mental health clinicians. Here’s a sampling of topics featured in Volume 1: DSM-IV, Panic Disorder, PMDD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, polypharmacy, chronic depression, ADHD, managed care, plus many others. In my view, the journal was off to a great start.

Fast forward a bit, to 1997. Unexpectedly, I was contacted by Allen Frances to explore my interest and availability to be nominated as his successor as editor of the journal. Allen and I are long-time friends and colleagues, having been in the same class in residency training at Columbia. He indicated that he and a team of colleagues were launching something called the Expert Consensus Practice Guideline Project and that he needed to step down as editor of the journal. It was my good fortune to be named the new editor, and I’ve been happily in the saddle ever since.

Has the journal changed over the years? Yes and no. For one thing, as we began the new millennium, we changed its name to the Journal of Psychiatric Practice, mainly to make it a bit less of a mouthful. In my editorial in the January 2000 issue of Volume 6, entitled “A New Beginning,” I stated that, “the Journal will remain dedicated to its goal of providing informative reviews of topics pertinent to practitioners of clinical psychiatry….” And it has done so, but with some transitions. The front section is now called “Articles” instead of “Review Articles,” now encompassing original research papers as well as review articles. Columns on psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and law and psychiatry continue to provide scholarly essays by column editors, and our really great Practitioner’s Corner section sustains a smorgasbord of unique information. A Book Review section has been added, and a Clinical Case Discussion section has been created, where a variety of authors present interesting clinical cases, discussed by the Clinical Case Editor. And I’ll highlight one other transition in the journal: submissions are now received from all over the world, reflecting international recognition of its stature in the publishing world.

I am eternally grateful to our Editorial Board and our roster of outstanding columnists and section editors through the years. With no intention of short-changing their importance, I must single out one particular contributor: Sheldon Preskorn has been our psychopharmacology columnist since 1995 (!), indefatigably providing in-depth information with clarity and pertinence. His column has become one of the most valued features of the journal.

And from the beginning, the journal’s Managing Editor has been Ruth Ross, whose steadfast “hands-on” role has been invaluable. Without interruption, Ruth has been on deck for all 30 years of the journal’s history, and our published authors regularly send their appreciation for her responsiveness, attention to detail, and personalized availability. Day-to-day, my job would be overwhelming without Ruth’s partnership, along with the good help of our Editorial Assistant, Liz Golmon. Also, we are grateful for the steady support of our team from Wolters Kluwer and its predecessors, without which we’d be out of gas. And, finally, my personal thanks to all of the many authors who have submitted the content that makes the journal what it is, and to you, our readers, whose interest and loyalty to the journal are what it’s all about.