On April 2, MQ: Transforming Mental Health (MQ) – a British charity aiming to promote research in order to improve the quality of life of people affected by mental illness – published a new landscape analysis of mental health research funding in the United Kingdom.
The extremely wide range of disorders covered by mental illnesses make them one of the most common health problems worldwide, thus requiring important investment. What is more, the importance of investment in mental health research as well as the burden of mental illness has been widely acknowledged over the last decade. Yet, whilst amounts spent in mental health research in the UK are significant (£115 million a year), they remain too low to match the actual scale and impact of these disorders. MQ explains that this problem of under-funding is mostly due to a lack of public charity. For this reason, the report seeks to provide information on how to foster collaborative efforts for sustained investments in mental health research.
As stated in the report, this obstacle can only be overcome thanks to the “combined effort of many actors, including governments, research funders, charities, patients and the public”. Finally, MQ provides recommendations to support advances in mental health research, ranging from improvement of data sharing to informing policymakers and addressing stigma with research.
Ever since its creation in 2002, the European Brain Council has been advocating for more research, as it constitutes the basis for early diagnosis, better treatment and improved care. We are therefore extremely pleased by MQ’s initiative, as we share a common perspective on mental health research. We trust that the future works published by the charity will strongly contribute to spreading the message on the importance of investing in research.