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Subfield · Medicine

Psychiatry and Mental health research

Psychiatry and Mental health is a subfield of Medicine. Science Explorer counts 553k research works in it since 1950. 17.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.

Research works
553k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
99k
per year above
Top-10% rate
17.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
16
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+25%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Psychiatry and Mental health research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Neurobiology, Genetics, Neuroimaging, Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Inflammation. Gaining share since 2009–13: Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Feeding Problems, Empathy. Losing share: Antipsychotic Drugs, Neurocognitive Deficits, Biopsychosocial, Health.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 39 words, with their numbers
  1. Neurobiology35k◆ 0.93×4 topics
  2. Genetics28k◆ 0.91×3 topics
  3. Neuroimaging25k◆ 1.12×2 topics
  4. Alzheimer's Disease19k▲ 1.25×1 topic
  5. Mild Cognitive Impairment19k▲ 1.25×1 topic
  6. Inflammation18k◆ 0.91×2 topics
  7. Epidemiology18k◆ 1.08×2 topics
  8. Treatment16k◆ 0.97×2 topics
  9. Prevalence16k◆ 0.88×2 topics
  10. Epilepsy12k◆ 0.94×1 topic
  11. Seizures12k◆ 0.94×1 topic
  12. Cerebral Palsy11k◆ 1.08×1 topic
  13. ICF Model11k◆ 1.08×1 topic
  14. Antipsychotic Drugs10k▼ 0.70×1 topic
  15. Neurocognitive Deficits10k▼ 0.70×1 topic
  16. ADHD9,588◆ 0.91×1 topic
  17. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder9,588◆ 0.91×1 topic
  18. Autism Spectrum Disorders9,449▲ 1.21×1 topic
  19. Feeding Problems9,449▲ 1.21×1 topic
  20. Interoception8,186◆ 1.03×1 topic
  21. Somatic Symptoms8,186◆ 1.03×1 topic
  22. Empathy7,483◆ 1.15×1 topic
  23. Medical Education7,483◆ 1.15×1 topic
  24. Erectile Dysfunction6,975◆ 1.01×1 topic
  25. Sexual Dysfunction6,975◆ 1.01×1 topic
  26. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome6,879◆ 1.07×1 topic
  27. Fibromyalgia6,879◆ 1.07×1 topic
  28. Bipolar Spectrum Disorder6,235▼ 0.85×1 topic
  29. Treatment Guidelines6,235▼ 0.85×1 topic
  30. Headache Disorders6,116◆ 1.07×1 topic
  31. Migraine6,116◆ 1.07×1 topic
  32. Chronic Stress5,721◆ 0.93×1 topic
  33. Tumor Growth5,721◆ 0.93×1 topic
  34. Encephalopathy3,457◆ 0.93×1 topic
  35. Reversible3,457◆ 0.93×1 topic
  36. Electroconvulsive Therapy2,842◆ 0.87×1 topic
  37. Serotonin Syndrome2,842◆ 0.87×1 topic
  38. Biopsychosocial271▼ 0.70×1 topic
  39. Health271▼ 0.70×1 topic

Which countries lead Psychiatry and Mental health research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, the United States, China and the United Kingdom rank highest in Psychiatry and Mental health. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (27k and 9.7k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States · #1 all time 15.4% top 10% · 27k works
  2. 2 China · #6 all time 23.5% top 10% · 9.7k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom · #2 all time 20.7% top 10% · 6.4k works
  4. 4 Italy · #7 all time 23.7% top 10% · 3.7k works
  5. 5 Australia · #4 all time 23.7% top 10% · 3k works
  6. 6 Germany · #5 all time 18.3% top 10% · 3.8k works
  7. 7 Canada · #3 all time 18.1% top 10% · 3.7k works
  8. 8 Spain · #11 all time 16.1% top 10% · 3.3k works
  9. 9 Netherlands · #8 all time 22.4% top 10% · 1.9k works
  10. 10 France · #9 all time 15.1% top 10% · 2.4k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 55 countries ranked in Psychiatry and Mental health. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Psychiatry and Mental health

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 27k works
  2. 2 China 9.7k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom 6.4k works
  4. 4 India 4.5k works
  5. 5 Germany 3.8k works
  6. 6 Italy 3.7k works
  7. 7 Canada 3.7k works
  8. 8 Türkiye 3.3k works
  9. 9 Spain 3.3k works
  10. 10 Brazil 3.3k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 39.1%China: 14.2%United Kingdom: 9.3%India: 6.6%6 others listed: 30.8%39%largest
United States27k · 39.1%China9,738 · 14.2%United Kingdom6,406 · 9.3%India4,517 · 6.6%6 others listed21k · 30.8%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Psychiatry and Mental health research?

University College London (United Kingdom) ranks first in Psychiatry and Mental health on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Harvard University and King's College London.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 University College London United Kingdom · London · #3 all time 27.3% top 10% · 408 works
  2. 2 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #1 all time 22.4% top 10% · 433 works
  3. 3 King's College London United Kingdom · London · #2 all time 28.8% top 10% · 345 works
  4. 4 Massachusetts General Hospital United States · Boston · #4 all time 19.0% top 10% · 312 works
  5. 5 University of California, San Francisco United States · San Francisco · #13 all time 19.0% top 10% · 270 works
  6. 6 Karolinska Institutet Sweden · Stockholm · #12 all time 26.6% top 10% · 227 works
  7. 7 Johns Hopkins University United States · Baltimore · #7 all time 20.1% top 10% · 290 works
  8. 8 University of Copenhagen Denmark · Copenhagen · #29 all time 25.9% top 10% · 164 works
  9. 9 The University of Melbourne Australia · Melbourne · #20 all time 25.7% top 10% · 197 works
  10. 10 University of Toronto Canada · Toronto · #11 all time 18.8% top 10% · 303 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 243 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Psychiatry and Mental health.

Top 100 Psychiatry and Mental health institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Harvard UniversityUnited States 433 works
  2. 2 University College LondonUnited Kingdom 408 works
  3. 3 King's College LondonUnited Kingdom 345 works
  4. 4 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States 342 works
  5. 5 Massachusetts General HospitalUnited States 312 works
  6. 6 University of MichiganUnited States 304 works
  7. 7 University of TorontoCanada 303 works
  8. 8 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States 290 works
  9. 9 University of PittsburghUnited States 279 works
  10. 10 University of California, San FranciscoUnited States 269 works

Who are the leading researchers in Psychiatry and Mental health?

Among the most productive authors in Psychiatry and Mental health, Ronald C. Kessler, Zulfiqar A Bhutta and Perminder S. Sachdev rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Ronald C. Kessler United States · #14 worldwide 9.8k citations · 232 works
  2. 2 Zulfiqar A Bhutta Pakistan · #29 worldwide 7k citations · 258 works
  3. 3 Perminder S. Sachdev Australia · #56 worldwide 4.6k citations · 215 works
  4. 4 Josep María Haro Spain · #63 worldwide 6.4k citations · 180 works
  5. 5 Mika Kivimäki United Kingdom · #69 worldwide 6.7k citations · 266 works
  6. 6 Louisa Degenhardt Australia · #80 worldwide 5.7k citations · 164 works
  7. 7 Lisa Hartling Canada · #92 worldwide 5k citations · 144 works
  8. 8 John J. McGrath Australia · #105 worldwide 5.3k citations · 193 works
  9. 9 James G. Scott Australia · #112 worldwide 4.3k citations · 219 works
  10. 10 Carol Brayne United Kingdom · #131 worldwide 3.9k citations · 167 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,529 highest-output authors in Psychiatry and Mental health. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Psychiatry and Mental health researchers

Where is Psychiatry and Mental health research done?

The largest centres of Psychiatry and Mental health research in 2022–2025 are London (United Kingdom), Beijing (China), New York (United States) and Boston (United States).

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 London United Kingdom 2.2k works
  2. 2 Beijing China 1.5k works
  3. 3 New York United States 1.3k works
  4. 4 Boston United States 1.1k works
  5. 5 Seoul South Korea 994 works
  6. 6 Melbourne Australia 897 works
  7. 7 Istanbul Türkiye 878 works
  8. 8 Toronto Canada 874 works
  9. 9 Shanghai China 870 works
  10. 10 Tokyo Japan 861 works
See Psychiatry and Mental health on the map

Psychiatry and Mental health research by country

The best places for Psychiatry and Mental health research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Psychiatry and Mental health?

Among universities, judged by research, King's College London, University College London and Karolinska Institutet score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 24.78%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →King's College London: 345, 28.8%University College London: 408, 27.3%Karolinska Institutet: 227, 26.6%Harvard University: 433, 22.4%University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli": 61, 27.3%The University of Melbourne: 197, 25.7%University of Copenhagen: 164, 25.9%Monash University: 180, 24.7%Johns Hopkins University: 290, 20.1%University of California, San Francisco: 270, 19.0%King's College LondonUniversity College L…Karolinska InstitutetHarvard University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 King's College LondonUnited Kingdom 59.728.8%4.5×345 +0.8%
2 University College LondonUnited Kingdom 58.727.3%3.0×408 +36.4%
3 Karolinska InstitutetSweden 58.426.6%5.1×227 +14.3%
4 Harvard UniversityUnited States 54.022.4%3.4×433 +19.0%
5 University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"Italy 46.727.3%2.9×61 +149.4%
6 The University of MelbourneAustralia 46.525.7%2.0×197 +21.4%
7 University of CopenhagenDenmark 46.525.9%2.4×164 +12.5%
8 Monash UniversityAustralia 46.424.7%2.1×180 +32.7%
9 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States 46.320.1%2.7×290 +36.1%
10 University of California, San FranciscoUnited States 46.319.0%4.2×270 +3.9%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Psychiatry and Mental health research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 25% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders, Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues and Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders+138%
  2. Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues+127%
  3. Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research+123%
  4. Empathy and Medical Education+104%
  5. Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments+89%
  6. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder+82%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Psychiatry and Mental health include?

Dementia and Cognitive I…68kDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research: 68k fractional worksEpilepsy research and tr…62kEpilepsy research and treatment: 62k fractional worksSchizophrenia research and treatment: 58k fractional worksAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: 43k fractional worksCerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders: 43k fractional worksChild Nutrition and Feeding Issues: 38k fractional worksPsychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments: 36k fractional worksSexual function and dysfunction studies: 31k fractional worksBipolar Disorder and Treatment: 30k fractional worksEmpathy and Medical Education: 29k fractional worksMigraine and Headache Studies: 28k fractional worksFibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research: 28k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.