Mental health
Our vision is a world in which no one is held back by mental health problems.
Our vision is a world in which no one is held back by mental health problems.
Depression, anxiety, and psychosis are holding millions of people back every day. We still know far too little about how and why these conditions develop, and how they can best be resolved.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
We want to create transformative change by finding better ways to intervene early so that people experiencing these mental health challenges can thrive.
To do this, we fund a diverse range of researchers, and collaborate with others, including policy makers.
We are committed to the meaningful involvement of lived experience experts in the direction and decision making of the mental health team; the projects and research that we fund; and in the field of mental health science.
We want to:
- gain a better understanding of how the brain, body, and environment interact in depression, anxiety, and psychosis so that we can spot potential points for early intervention.
- find better ways of identifying and grouping people with – or at risk of – these conditions so that we can provide more timely and personalised interventions.
- find new and improved ways of intervening. This could involve things that an individual does for themselves, are provided by a healthcare professional, or are provided by policies or practices in wider society.
How can we help create a transformative change in early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis? Share your ideas about our strategy via the link.
Depression, anxiety, and psychosis typically start in youth and can have a significant impact on all aspects of a person’s life. This can result in lower life expectancy, social and economic disadvantage, and a higher risk of self-harm and suicide.
Effective early intervention could stop the escalation of these conditions before they become lifelong, debilitating problems.
By addressing current gaps in our understanding, finding better ways to group people, and funding new and improved interventions, we hope to make this a reality.
"Mental health science is on the cusp of transformative change. Wellcome is privileged to work with a wide range of researchers to find innovative ways to intervene as early as possible in depression, anxiety, and psychosis in order to improve the life trajectory of millions of people globally."
We fund research that enhances our understanding of how biological, psychological, and social factors interact in the development and resolution of depression, anxiety, and psychosis - including OCD, PTSD, bipolar, and schizophrenia - as well as projects to find new and improved ways to predict, identify and intervene as early as possible.
We are interested in all interventions, pharmacological or non-pharmacological, provided through healthcare systems or by other systems, such as workplaces, educational organisations, or undertaken by an individual themselves.
We support initiatives to build a more inclusive and coherent mental health science community. This includes funding necessary infrastructure, such as improved databases and platforms for trials.
This is in addition to funding that is already available via our Discovery Research programme, which is open to applications relating to all mental health conditions.
Find out what mental health research we are funding – now and in the future.
Mental health funding calls in progress
There are currently no specific funding opportunities for mental health. This page will be updated when they become available.
Wellcome is hosting a workshop to bring together UK-based researchers and clinicians at all career stages to better understand how neuroscience could inform clinical practice in mental health.
Expression of interest is due by 23 June 2023.
For a more detailed description of what projects we will and won’t fund, visit our Mental Health remit page.
Other initiatives
In addition to awarding grants, we are working with other funders and publishers to agree core measures of people’s mental health, removing one of the biggest barriers to developing a more coherent evidence base.
Plus, we’re supporting the development of better data sets, involving more diverse populations, and collecting more detailed data over a longer period.
We also invite organisations to apply for contract opportunities that support our mission.
The Wellcome Trust is an independent charity. To find out where we get our grant funding from, visit our investments page.
Explore the Mental Health research projects we are currently funding below:
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