Overview In a recent Editorial in JAMA Psychiatry, Paulus1 called for a greater focus on evidence-based pragmatic psychiatry (EPP).1 Broadly defined, EPP foregrounds the needs of stakeholders and focuses on tractable research questions that are likely to result in beneficial pragmatic outcomes. Paulus has asked that we explore this topic from the perspective of psychiatric epidemiology. Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease in the community (including its full spectrum, not just the proportion of people with the disease who come in contact with a health care service). Epidemiology counts health-related phenomenon to map the frequency and distribution of disorders across time and space. This information can generate and answer questions related to which risk factors are linked to mental disorders and which treatments and services can influence the course of mental disorders. Within this context, what are the most important topics for psychiatric epidemiology to focus on in the years ahead? From the perspective of EPP, what do we think matters? What topics count?
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