Psychiatry Review

marks the end of an era, for the Journal, which has seen the further development of research capacity, and enthusiasm, within the fraternity of psychiatry and related disciplines in South Africa. The end of an era because this is the last edition of the Journal. The reality is that where one thing ends, another begins. Before giving you a view of the future, it is incumbent on me to acknowledge all of you as the Journal’s most valuable asset, our readership, for having been part of a rather special voyage over these past years. In addition it is vital to acknowledge the critical role that the pharmaceutical industry has played during this time. Present through advertising alone and with no suggestion of involvement, or attempt to be involved, beyond that the Journal’s relationship with industry has demonstrated that mutually beneficial, non-exploitative partnerships are not pipe dreams but a very real phenomenon. The Journal started life as the Journal of Depression and Anxiety and was edited by Michael Berk. In the years that followed the publication was revamped, moving from a very focused product to something much broader with the aim of providing a forum for both young and more established researchers in psychiatry in South Africa. Thus in 2002, South African Psychiatry Review was born. With time, and experience, the possibilities became apparent. The next important step was the accreditation by the Department of Education and subsequent indexing in both PsycINFO and Embase as well as African Journals Online. This together with an electronic footprint in the form of the Journal’s website set the scene for what followed, which not least of all was the positioning of the Journal as African. As a result the editorial board grew from predominantly South African academics to include important names from Africa in addition to those from around the globe which gave the Journal an international flavour. Most recently, at the Regional World Psychiatric Association (WPA) conference held in Nairobi – Kenya- in March 2007, a landmark decision was taken. South African Psychiatry Review is to become the official journal of th