This special issue is primarily dedicated to “Psychotherapy in Sport,” with five articles written by the speakers who participated in the conference on this topic. The event was organized as the concluding session of the Research Methodology course of the Center for Research in Psychotherapy’s School of Specialization. Key players from the world of sport will guide us through the various aspects of psychological interventions in sports.
In the first article, “History of the Approach to Psychological and Psychopathological Disorders in High-Level Athletes,” by Bruna Rossi, the personal story of a former athlete and psychotherapist of high-level athletes intertwines with the history of sports psychology from the 1980s to the present, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.
From theory to practice, Giorgio Damassa shifts the focus to the operational level with the article “Emotions and Motor Control: Can the Motor Program Disappear? Critical Analysis and Preliminary Investigation of Diving According to Computational and Ecological Theories of Movement.” A detailed description of the characteristics of this discipline helps the reader understand the specific psychological problems that arise in this sport and the interventions needed to help struggling athletes.
Mario Bellucci follows, addressing the topic of “Sedentary Lifestyles and Lifestyles in Developmental Age,” broadening his focus to the importance of sports activity and healthy lifestyle habits in developmental age as a prerequisite for psychophysical balance in adulthood. This aspect is particularly relevant in the current era, characterized by a decline in physical activity in favor of sedentary activities in front of small or large screens.
Rita Casella, in “Adolescents, Social Media and the Body,” addresses another highly topical topic: how information and communication technologies have changed the lives of young people and their physical and relational habits.
Pasquale Bellotti concludes with a speech entitled “If words are poorly understood and widely misunderstood… we often lose our vision of life!” Drawing on his personal experience, he critically addresses the communication difficulties that can arise in bureaucratic relationships.
The intersection of Medicine and Psychology is the core theme of this journal, from which it derives its title: Psychomed. The Historical Archive re-proposes, after 50 years, an interface theme characteristic of that period. A bio-psycho-social model of depression is presented in the two articles “Depression and oral contraceptives: A Neuropsychophysiological hypothesis” by Stefania Borgo, Massimo Casacchia & Cornelio Fazio and “Depressive behavior in women taking oral contraceptives: A human model of depression” by Stefania Borgo & Lucio Sibilia.
The model presented here highlights the fundamental role of two important mediators, serotonin and norepinephrine, in the genesis of depression. These would later prove, between the late 1980s and early 1990s, to be crucial for current pharmacological therapy, based precisely on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). The model also highlights the psychological aspects that interact with the biological substrate, in a dynamic that leads to depressive disorder.
Finally, a new section called “Not the Lancet” has been introduced. Its purpose is to provide a space for young researchers to express themselves, especially those with new ideas that are difficult to integrate into mainstream publications. This is a challenge we and many other colleagues have experienced, especially in unestablished thematic areas, controversial topics, or those plagued by conflicts of interest.
Psychomed’s Editors, Stefania Borgo and Lucio Sibilia, begin the series of “rejected” submissions with a concrete example: a “Letter to the Editor” not published by any prestigious journal. They hope this will stimulate responses and spark a dialogue with other researchers seeking freer expression while remaining committed to the scientific method.
Finally, as is customary, announcements of upcoming international conferences are reported.
We take this opportunity to announce that, starting next year, the Journal will be published biannually.
Stefania Borgo & Lucio Sibilia
Rome, Dec.17th 2025
Lucio Sibilia
