I hope this issue (Vol. 7; Issue 1) will provide a wealth of knowledge on mental health and be an enjoyable read. It will be great to have your active participation through feedback and contributions from researchers, students and clinicians to help us reach greater heights.

The invited editorial by Dr. Vikas Menon throws light on the research interface between psychiatry and medicine. It explores the changing paradigms at this research interface and discusses the implications of these changes for the practice of psychiatry. Genetic and functional neuroimaging studies have evolved to give us better understanding of the psychiatric disorders, which were once predominantly explained using psychological constructs. Technological advances have also heralded a new era in our understanding so much so that today we talk about precision psychiatry. This editorial piques our interest in what the future may hold.

Two original research articles look into the mental health aspects of the Student population- one at the collegiate level and one at the school level. The first research article by Jafri et al on the mental health of medical college students during the peak days of COVID 19. Postgraduate medical students and those studying in foreign universities had higher prevalence of depression than undergraduates and students studying in Indian universities. The various factors have been discussed by the authors.

The second article by Vijaya Raghavan et al looks into the prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety in school children in Chennai. The factors associated with the high prevalence of anxiety and depression has been brought out.

A cost of illness study by Dr. Jeyakumar Menon et al looking into the high financial and other burdens incurred in the care of Dementia patients is an interesting read. Apart from the indirect cost involved, the direct financial and social cost of burden is also increasing. As much of our population is moving towards the geriatric’ margin, both the elderly spouseand their children have to brace for this impact.

Two interesting case reports are also published. One on acute psychotic presentation in Manganese toxicity and the other one upon Atropine induced delirium evolving in the treatment of a snake bite. Hope this issue informs and interests you, as we earnestly try to bring the issues regularly.