Figures from the mental health charity MQ found that only 5.8% of the UK’s total health research budget is spent on mental illness.
As a comparison, for each person affected by mental illness, approximately £8 is invested in mental health research while around £176 per sufferer is invested in cancer research – meaning that mental health research receives 22 times less funding than cancer research.
But why is this the case, what can we do to change these figures and, importantly, could our health information hold the key to democratising research and, if so, should this data be used?
It was questions
ScienceBlog.com has no paywalls, no sponsored content, and no agenda beyond getting the science right. Every story here is written to inform, not to impress an advertiser or push a point of view.
Good science journalism takes time — reading the papers, checking the claims, finding researchers who can put findings in context. We do that work because we think it matters.
If you find this site useful, consider supporting it with a donation. Even a few dollars a month helps keep the coverage independent and free for everyone.