Mental Health

Mental health problems are holding back people of all ages, in all parts of the world. They are predicted to be the main cause of global mortality and morbidity by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2004).

Almost nine in ten people will experience a mental health problem by the time they’re 38 years old (Schaefer et al, 2017). While some treatments work for some people, some of the time, we urgently need to find better approaches that can help more people globally. 

Wellcome has a vital role to play. By bringing together expertise across science, innovation and society, we’re speeding up research to understand mental health better, and to develop treatments and approaches that are more effective and more personalised.

Over the next 30 years, we will help find the next generations of treatments and approaches to help prevent or treat mental ill health. 

Right now, we are supporting the mental health science community to align around common goals, foster creative research, and involve people with lived experience every step of the way. And we are developing a portfolio of innovations and building scientific evidence around how they work. 

Wellcome also funds discovery research into a broad range of disciplines, including mental health. Insights and tools from this research will contribute to solving this health challenge, as well as increasing broader understanding of life, health and wellbeing.

Read more about our current focus and what we want to achieve in the mental health space in the next 30 years.

We’re doing this through research, policy, advocacy, public engagement and innovation. 

We want the broadest range of people to contribute to and benefit from equitable solutions to mental health problems. That’s why we work with researchers, people with lived experience, policy makers, activists, community leaders and businesses in all parts of the world. 

We’re currently working on:

• active ingredients for anxiety and depression: we’ve commissioned research into what makes a difference in preventing and treating anxiety and depression in young people worldwide
• workplace mental health: we’re collaborating with businesses and researchers to understand what type of approaches could support employees’ mental health
• mental health databank: we’re developing a global databank to collect rich data about which approaches could help people better manage their mental health
• transforming how we understand, address and talk about mental health: Mindscapes is our international cultural programme of artist residencies, exhibitions and events in different cities around the world.

Read more about our work.