We aimed to describe the contribution of low- and middle-income (LAMI)
countries to leading general psychiatric journals. We reviewed original
research published over a 3-year period (2002–2004) in the six
highest-impact general psychiatry journals and contacted editorial offices
to gather data on country of origin of submitted and accepted articles. Only
3.7% of published research emerges from these less affluent countries, which
account for over 80% of the global population. Compared with the findings of
a similar review of the period 1996–1998, there has been little change. The
three European journals had a higher representation than the three American
Journals. The proportion of psychiatrists in a country was associated with
that country's research output. As much as 50% of the research from LAMI
countries is led by authors from high-income countries. The proportion of
submissions from LAMI countries was very low, and articles from them were
more frequently rejected. Strengthening the research capacity of these
countries and reviewing the editorial policies of leading journals can help
increase the international representation of LAMI countries in psychiatric
research.