Dear Prasanna de Silva.

Thank you for your response to this editorial. Since your questions concerns our editorial policy,  I will answer them in capacity of being the editor in chief:

1. As to our policy on advertisements from the pharmaceutical companies, we adhere to the international guidelines from the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE) (1), as well as from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (2). We also adhere to the guidelines from the Association of Norwegian Editors (3). In accordance with these, our editorial policies, including decicions upon individual manuscripts, are strictly separated from decisions concerning advertisments. Hence, commercial considerations do not affect editorial decisions, and the advertising department operates independently from the editorial process.
2. None of our editors hold shares in pharmaceutical companies. Most of the editors are actice clinicians and researchers. As such, several are, or have been, involved in research projects pertinent to mental health. Being, or having been involved in research is a prerequsite for working as an editor in most scientific journal, including ours.
3. I am a neurologist by training. I also hold a position as associate professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In both these roles, I have provided paid talks for several organisations pertinent to mental health over the last 5 years. None of these have been pharmaceutical companies.

References

1. COPE. Guidelines. https://publicationethics.org/ (6.4.2017)
2. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. http://www.icmje.org/ (6.4.2017)
3. Association of Norwegian Editors. http://www.nored.no/Association-of-Norwegian-Editors (6.4.2017)