Mental Health Research Matters
Well, that went well, didn’t it? Thank you to everyone who took part in the #MentalHealthResearchMatters Campaign in 2022. The campaign wouldn’t have been the success it was, without your brilliant contributions.
In autumn 2022, we brought together researchers and people with lived experience of mental health problems for a digital conversation about mental health research, as mental health is important to us all. We ran online events, wrote blogs, sparked Twitter conversations and showcased great examples of mental health research to inspire more people to get involved.
We’re wanted to encourage people to talk more openly about what good mental health research looks like and how we can all play a part in improving our understanding of mental health.
Fancy a snapshot summary of the campaign? Read our campaign report here.
The challenge
Although we have come a long way, there is still so much we don’t know about mental health. And that’s why mental health research matters.
Research is part of the solution. It can:
- Find out what helps and what doesn’t
- When budgets are tight, good-quality research can inform changes to services so they can that can better help people with mental health problems
We don’t have all the answers yet. We need more and better mental health research so people can live happier and mentally healthy lives.
Catch up with the discussion on the hashtag #MentalHealthResearchMatters, with content shared from the Mental Elf and The McPin Foundation social media channels, as well as plenty of organisations and individuals who brought the conversation to life.
Networks for change
In 2018, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded eight mental health research networks to address some of the most pressing mental health challenges that we face today.
From tackling loneliness, the mental health impacts of violence and abuse, children and young people’s mental health, to student mental health and the life expectancy gap for people with severe mental illness, these networks have researched a vast number of crucial topics within mental health research.
Find out about the UKRI-funded mental health networks here.
Mental Health Research Matters is about celebrating the legacy of the UKRI mental health research networks, and encouraging more people to get involved in research so we can better understand mental health. Not only have the networks funded some top-notch studies, but they’ve also created an abundance of useful resources for people interested in mental health, which we highlighted in the campaign.
What next?
The #MentalHealthResearchMatters campaign might be over, but the discussion points will continue to be relevant for a long time. Please keep using the hashtag – we want it to become a hub for all-things good quality mental health research!
Catch up on the five webinars ran here. The topics were:
- Inclusive mental health research that tackles inequalities
- Multidisciplinary research
- Listening to and learning from lived experience in research
- Partnerships with organisations outside academia
- Mental health research influencing policy
Read blogs from our amazing contributors about why mental health research matters and how we can improve mental health research to help more people.
Find out how you can get involved with mental health research and make a difference.