Increase in research funding is called for by mental health charity
- 02 Apr
A mental health charity has found that research into mental health receives less than 1% of the funding per patient that cancer gets.
MQ: Transforming Mental Health, who call themselves the first UK major mental health research charity, have found that for every £1 the Government spends on mental health research, the general public donates just 0.3p, reports Care Appointments.
The report found that nearly of quarter of the UK's population is affected by mental health problems and the economic and social cost of mental illness in England is estimated at £105bn, however there is little know about how to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
Its report found that £9.75 is invested in research per person affected by mental illness, while for cancer research it is £1,571 per patient.
The majority of the £115m spent on mental health research each year comes from three funders; the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council.
MQ chief executive, Cynthia Joyce, said: "As our analysis shows, current levels of research are not fit-for-purpose. This means that advances are being held back in areas that could make a real difference to people's lives, including the development of new treatments and opportunities to prevent mental illness in future generations. We are beginning to see important changes in our public dialogue about mental health, but any efforts to truly achieve parity of esteem will be held back without similar commitments to mental health research."
Professor Roz Shafran, senior advisor to MQ and chairwoman of translational psychology at University College London (UCL), said: "This ground-breaking report highlights the scandal of under-investment in mental health research in general and psychological treatment in particular. Highlighting the gap between the paucity of research funding and enormous impact of mental health disorders is the first step in beginning to close it."
What do you think of this? Tweet us your comments @suppsolutions
Related articles
- 11 Sep
People in Bedfordshire can find mental health support through an audio guide
The guides have been written by clinical psychologists and are available to download in print or listen to as an audio file, reports Bedfordshire News.Dr Judy Baxter, Clinical Director with BCCG and...
- 10 Sep
Police officers in Dorset to receive mental health training
The partnership with the University comes as part of the county’s Mental Health Street Triage Project. It is hoped to equip officers with improved knowledge and skills to assess members of the...
- 09 Sep
People in Peterborough can refer themselves for mental health services
Through a drive to offer support to more people and ease pressure on doctors, people living in Peterborough can self-refer themselves to mental health services, reports Peterborough Today.Dr Adrian...
- 08 Sep
The first mental health centre for men
The site has been set up by Alex Eaton, whose dad took his own life and has suffered with mental health problems himself, in Burton upon Trent, reports BBC Newsbeat.Mr Eaton said: "We are the only...
- 07 Sep
NHS trust told no mental health beds available
Dr Bohdan Solomka has said that on Sunday a lack of beds were applied across the NHS and among private providers, reports the BBC. The director of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trusts...
- 07 Sep
Over 16,000 mental health referrals for young people have been rejected
Between July last year and June this year, data from the NHS has found that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services rejected 5,396 referrals, reports STV News.Over the last three years 16,565...
- 04 Sep
New mental health centre to open in Ardwick
Plans to build a new £6m treatment and recovery centre in Manchester have been revealed. It will be built in Ardwick and be run by Alternative Futures Group, reports the Manchester Evening...
- 03 Sep
Research finds more chance of re-offending if mental health issues are present
Research has found that ex-prisoners with mental health problems and drug and alcohol misuse are more likely to commit violent offences after release than other former prisoners, reports the...
- 02 Sep
Drop in the number of people with mental health issues held in cells
Recent figures have found that the Crisis Care Concordat has seen over 10,000 people receive care from mental health nurses with the support from police officers, reports the Burton Mail.Figures have...
- 02 Sep
Mental health social work scheme accepting applications
100 places are now available for applicants who have a 2:1 or above undergraduate degree and can demonstrate attributes such as resilience and empathy, reports Community Care.The Think Ahead...
Support Solutions 5th National Housing Support & Social Care Conference 2014 Good organisation from beginning to end. Excellent keynote speaker. Relevant and important topics for discussion which were to everyone's advantage within the supported housing sector. B.H - Stevenage Haven
