Mental Health Research UK
I have recently become a supporter of the above charity which is the first UK charity dedicated to raising funds for research into mental illness, the causes and cures.
The burden of mental illness is widely underestimated in the UK even though, of 280 m consultations with a GP each year, 30% are related to mental ill health and 3 in 10 people have sick leave from work related to this cause. There are one million people on long term sick leave due to mental illness and of those on sick leave for more than one year, less than 5% will ever return to work. The cost to the economy of mental ill health is thought to be around 77 bn a year.
Funding for mental health research is shamefully low compared to the amounts raised for more high profile medical conditions. In the UK cancer research funding is 18% of total budget, cardiovascular disease is 6% but mental health languishes at only 4.5% of all spending for research into chronic diseases.
Some of the several mental health charities in the UK do support some research but the sums are very small. There is no equivalent in this country of Cancer UK, the British Heart Foundation or Diabetes UK which are just three of the major charities funding research into chronic diseases. Mental health research, like many of the people who suffer from these illnesses, is ignored.
Mental Health Research UK is dedicated to raising funds to research on the causes, diagnosis and treatments in mental illness.
I have been a long time member of MIND which does excellent work in education and support and now I am happy to be able to help direct research which will contribute to improvements in mental health treatment and prevention for the future. If you would like to support this charity please contact me for more information or e-mail the charity direct at trustees@mentalhealthresearchuk.org.uk
John O’Donnell 08/02/12