Mental health research in 2023: new funding, new priorities, new opportunities

As 2023 draws to a close, the mental health research community will be reflecting on the progress we’ve made this year, the lessons we’ve learned, and the new developments that captured our attention.

In this post, the team at the International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders (IAMHRF) shares the moments that stood out to us.?

This year, we’ve published articles on lived experience involvement in research funding and the development of common measures for depression and anxiety. We co-sponsored the 12th Global Mental Health conference with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) , Grand Challenges Canada , and Wellcome Trust and we hosted our first in-person meeting in four years. We also convened funders to explore opportunities for working together on prevention and digital mental health.?

To learn more about these projects and many other highlights from the year in mental health research, please read on...

New kids on the block (Jan – Mar)?

We started the year with updates from three new and exciting initiatives in our community.?

The Global Alliance for Living Evidence on aNxiety, depressiOn and pSychosis (GALENOS ) launched a three-year project that will make it easier to keep track of the ever-expanding literature and help us identify the most impactful research priorities in depression, anxiety and psychosis.?

The philanthropic collaboration, BD2 Discoveries , announced its first $15 million in grants to advance genetic and biological understanding of bipolar disorder. This is just the start of their $100+ million effort to improve the lives of people with bipolar disorder and those yet to be diagnosed.?

There was also an update from the developing German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). Their national research program has been co-created with people with lived experience (PWLE) and is focused on early recognition and prevention, urban mental health, and enhanced psychotherapy.?

That update was part of the March issue of Nature Mental Health which focussed on lived experience. Highlights included the results of our survey on how research funders are currently collaborating with PWLE and a comment piece by PWLE exploring how we can move beyond tokenism .?

The need for a globally diverse perspective was highlighted in a new analysis showing that core aspects of psychosis vary significantly with historic, economic, and social context. We are hopeful that the sector will improve upon the fact that less than 10% of research on psychotic disorders has been conducted in the Global South. ?

Demonstrating the immense value of registry data in the Nordics, the results of a 20-year follow-up study showed that early intervention services for psychosis may have no long-term benefit. Further innovation will be needed to maintain the positive outcomes achieved in the short-term. We hope that funders and researchers will leverage these valuable datasets more extensively in future, although we acknowledge there are some hurdles to achieving this.?

Moving the field forward (Apr – Jun)?

Moving into April, there were several publications challenging research funding practices and standards as well as some significant new commitments to mental health research funding.??

The Good Clinical Trials Collaborative explored how the mental health field can learn important lessons from the exceptional trials that rapidly transformed the evidence base during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical trials in psychiatry often fail to inform clinical practice and most trials are dramatically underpowered. The Collaborative is currently surveying funders to inform a series of workshops that will develop recommendations for strengthening clinical trials in mental health.????

A further problem is the proliferation of self-report measures (over 280 for depression alone) which makes it harder to compare findings across different studies and settings. In partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Wellcome Trust , we explained how we’re coordinating a response in two articles: Common measures in mental health: a joint initiative by funders and journals , and later in the year, A collaborative effort to establish common metrics for use in mental health .??

The Fogarty International Center at NIH published the findings from its Request for Information on Promoting Equity in Global Health Research . The challenges identified include limited funding opportunities for LMIC investigators, grant requirements that require significant administrative capacity, differences in research priorities between funders and LMIC institutions, inequities in research processes and in roles and responsibilities of HIC and LMIC partners, and lack of fair data sharing and ownership practices. Many of these challenges were echoed by mental health research funders at our annual meeting and we’ll be exploring opportunities to develop and pilot approaches to tackle these in future.??

In May, we welcomed news of the UK’s Mental Health Mission, underpinned by a ￡42.7 million investment, to develop new treatments, improve diagnosis, and increase the use of innovative technology. This announcement was closely followed by the European Commission ’s communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health which confirmed €765 million to support research and innovation projects on mental health, including an earmarked budget for prevention and early intervention.?

Wellcome Trust announced eight grantees (￡16.8 million) who will be tackling cognitive impairment in?people experiencing, or at risk of, psychosis. They also awarded ￡47 million to twelve research teams who will investigate ‘active ingredients’ for preventing, treating, or managing anxiety and depression.?

In the Gone Too Soon report, MQ Mental Health Research identified key factors, mechanisms, and solutions to prevent premature mortality associated with mental illness (10.2 years for men, 7.3 years for women). The report made 18 recommendations calling for the integration of mental and physical care, more focus on prevention, and greater investment into treatments and the social determinants of mental health.?

An evolving field (Jul – Sep)?

Moving into the second half of the year, it was time to celebrate 75 years of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) , starting with a symposium on The Evolution of Mental Health Research. Since the launch, NIMH has shared many success stories on suicide prevention, psychosis treatment , translational research, science infrastructure, global mental health , deep brain stimulation , and ketamine for treatment-resistant depression .?

There has been good news about other drugs too. The FDA approved Zurzuvae (zuranolone) as the first oral medication to treat postpartum depression. If they also approve KarXT , it will be the first novel antipsychotic in three decades, with potential to reduce hallucinations and delusions as well as cognitive impairment. Australia sparked controversy by approving the prescription of MDMA and psilocybin. While there is a growing evidence base for psychedelics, many challenges remain.?

Pim Cuijpers et al. found that psychotherapies for depression have a similar effect to pharmacotherapy in the short term but are more effective in the longer term. Importantly, they found that combining the two is more effective in the short and long term. The significantly smaller effect found for children and adolescents underscores the need for more focused investment in young people’s mental health – a call to action that many of our members are already heeding.?

Youth mental health was a hot topic this year and many of our members convened at IEPA14 to discuss early intervention. A few weeks later, researchers called for a new youth mental health paradigm. This was backed up by new analysis on the age of onset and cumulative risk of mental disorders and a report from NHS England which found that one in five young people has a probable mental disorder .?

Data on youth mental health remain sparse, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We eagerly await the findings from 联合国儿童基金会 ’s MMAPP initiative and the Being Initiative ’s landscape analyses to provide a richer understanding of the size of the problem, the setting-specific stressors, and the most promising opportunities to intervene.?

In September, the focus shifted to the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York. In the run-up, Vikram Patel et al. shared their principles and policy recommendations for transforming mental health systems globally. The focal points of UNGA78 were the Mental Health For All event and the Clinton Global Initiative meeting which drew attention to the needs of the world’s 1.8 billion adolescents. For a full summary of the week, see this post from United for Global Mental Health .?

There were also some important new resources published during this period. Louise Arseneault 's team shared the results of their global review of longitudinal datasets for mental health, Caroline Seiferth et al. taught us how to e-mental health with new guidelines for using digital technology in mental health, and we welcomed the first bottom-up review of the lived experience of depression , co-written by experts by experience and academics.?

An eventful finale (Oct – Dec)?

The final months of the year were dominated by events, kicking off with the 5th Global Mental Health Summit . These high-level ministerial gatherings started in 2018 and this thread summarises the key takeaways from this year’s gathering.?

A few days later it was World Mental Health Day and the publication of a new report on the financing of mental health . This was swiftly followed by the Mental Health for All session at the World Health Summit which showcased cutting-edge research from around the world.??

Attention then turned to Washington, D.C. for two back-to-back events: the 12th Global Mental Health: Research without Borders conference and the IAMHRF annual meeting .?

The global mental health conference was a lively and energising event with a strong focus on the social determinants of mental health. Recordings of the plenary sessions are available for Day 1 and Day 2 covering decolonisation, climate change, stratification, and implementation science as well as fireside chats with Devora Kestel ( World Health Organization ) and Esther Duflo ( Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) )

After the conference, we convened our members and partners alongside lived experience experts, leading researchers, journal editors, multilateral institutions, and advocacy organizations to explore emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in mental health research, share best practices, and discuss ideas for collective action. The rich content from our discussions, break-out groups, and polls will feed into plans for our working groups and future activities.??

Although many of these events took place in high-income countries, we also celebrated the growth of mental health research in Africa through the Healing the Brain conference in Nairobi and the launch of the AMARI-II programme to train future leaders in mental health research.?

As we moved into December, it was time for COP28 where health was at the forefront of the climate conversation for the first time. There were several side events on mental health hosted by Connecting Climate Minds , a new project which aims to develop a community of practice and actionable research agenda at the intersection of climate change and mental health.?

We were also excited to see The Lancet Psychiatry’s new reporting guidelines for involving people with lived experience. Reflecting on lived experience involvement from research funding through to publishing has the potential to drive real change in this vital aspect of mental health science.

To wrap up the year, we held a strategic workshop to discuss the next edition of our mental health research funding landscape report. Our 2020 report was a seminal piece of work for the IAMHRF and the sector that influenced strategies, research, and campaigning around the world. We'll be working closely with our members and partners to ensure the follow-up report answers the most critical questions about what has changed over the past five years and how the latest data can be used to shape strategy and advocacy efforts.??

Looking ahead to 2024?

Before we finish, let's take a brief look at three global trends that are likely to shape mental health research, and how we approach its funding, next year and beyond:?

1. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence shows no signs of slowing. How can we balance the benefits with the risks of harm to reduce the global treatment gap?

1. The effects of climate change show no signs of slowing either. What are the implications of rising temperatures for mental health and what should our research priorities be ??
2. The global population is increasingly young and urban. What role can cities play in the prevention and promotion of young people’s mental health??

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief review of the year in mental health research. Inevitably, there are many things we didn’t have space to include. If we missed something important, please share it in the comments below. We’d also love to read your general reflections on 2023 and what you’re looking forward to in 2024.?