Centre for Mental Health

Everything we do in the Centre for Mental Health needs to have a real-world application. We aim for our research to shape mental health policy and influence practice, both in the UK and globally. Our work focuses on those with diagnosed mental health conditions like depression or schizophrenia. We also explore factors affecting mental health and wellbeing across diverse communities. Our projects address practical interventions, such as reducing the use of restraints in in-patient psychiatric wards. A key part of our mission is to understand and address health inequalities and stigma—investigating why certain groups struggle to access appropriate care and why treatments do not work for everyone. We are committed to challenging mental health stigma, which can prevent people from seeking help and contribute to health inequalities.

The Centre for Mental Health contributes to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Our work is aimed at providing better mental healthcare – such as evaluating the efficacy and outcomes of treatments – and reducing mental health stigma, supporting Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3).
• Our research on inequalities in the provision of, and access to, mental healthcare based on factors such as gender, ethnicity, income or employment status, contributes to Gender Equality (SDG5) and Reduced Inequality (SDG10).
• Our work on how lacking access to clean water impacts mental health promotes Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG6).
• Our studies on the links between mental health and employment support Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8).
• Our research promoting mental health services across population centres contributes to Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11).

An interdisciplinary approach

The Centre for Mental Health includes psychologists, sociologists as well as public health experts, psychotherapists, counsellors, nurses, social workers, economists, statisticians, and doctors. Regardless of expertise, however, our members are unified in a desire to strengthen the links between research and practice, and have shared interest in the way mental health changes across the lifespan as well as people’s social and cultural background. This interdisciplinary approach ensures we each strengthen our own discipline, learning from others with different backgrounds and specialisms. It grounds our research, ensuring a more holistic perspective in everything we do.

Partners

To maximise the quality, relevance and impact of our research, members of the Centre for Mental Health collaborate closely with a wide variety of external partners. This involves building links with our local communities by partnering with local mental healthcare commissioners and providers, and becoming an integral part of the healthcare system locally. These local partners include primary care services, such as Oxleas Mental Health NHS Trust, and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Our partners include charities and private sector stakeholders, including Bipolar UK, Northern Healthcare and Clerkenwell Health. We also work with public sector departments and agencies, such as the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, while our international partners include the World Health Organisation and overseas universities and research institutions (e.g., Singapore’s Institute for Mental Health).

Funding

The work of the Centre for Mental Health is largely supported by the UK government through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). We are also funded by charitable organisations (e.g., Wellcome Trust), private companies (e.g., Clerkenwell Health), and the European Commission.

A varied approach

We believe that a varied, all-encompassing approach is needed when conducting mental health research, reflecting the depth and breadth of the topic itself. Our researchers frequently deploy mixed methods approaches, blending qualitative and quantitative research, and always trying to work closely with service users, who can report their lived experiences, as well as with those providing or commissioning treatments and care.

Our research falls into three broad and interlinked themes:

• Lifelong effects of mental health problems on individuals and society
• Evaluation of treatments
• Inequalities and stigma leading to poor mental health and wellbeing

These are detailed below:

Lifelong effects of mental health problems

A distinctive feature of our work is the focus on mental health and wellbeing across the lifespan and, in particular, how adverse experiences earlier in life can have negative consequences. For instance, we examine the current mental health of people who were in care as children or who might have suffered domestic abuse or perhaps served in the military. Other research looks at the experiences of moving an older parent into a care home or nursing home in the UK or the impacts of drinking in old age.

Evaluation of treatments

A key area of interest for the Centre for Mental Health is the evaluation of specific mental health treatments and services: why they work for some people but not for others. Indeed, a fundamental question is how we might better design and target treatments to individual needs and circumstances rather than more blanket approaches. A recent example of this research theme is our work, funded by Clerkenwell Health, on the cost effectiveness of using magic mushrooms (Psilocybin) for as a one-off treatment for depression in those resistant to other medications.

Inequalities and stigma leading to poor mental health and wellbeing

Another important strand of research explores why and how people access particular services, as well as looking at inequalities in the outcomes for those that do receive care. For instance, a study found that those held in Australian onshore and offshore immigration detention centres experienced psychological distress in proportion to the time spent in captivity. Alongside this, we examine mental health stigma, which can prevent individuals from seeking help, reduce the effectiveness of treatment, and contribute to social isolation. Our research aims to understand how stigma is formed, how it affects different communities, and what interventions are most effective in reducing it. By addressing both the personal and societal barriers imposed by stigma, we strive to promote equitable access to mental healthcare and improve outcomes for all.

Click here to view all publications

While we do not currently offer formal teaching and training within the Centre for Mental Health, we are planning a short course on the economics of health, including mental health. This is in conjunction with other Research Centres within the Institute for Lifecourse Development: specifically, the Centre for Inequalities and the Centre for Chronic Illness and Ageing.

Members of the Centre for Mental Health are heavily involved in the University of Greenwich’s annual Mental Health Day, which provides mental health support for University staff and students in general, as well as being an opportunity to promote our work.