Mental-health research is too often invisible - it is time to change that

"More than one billion people worldwide - around one person in seven - are estimated to live with a mental-health condition, according to the World Health Organization. Anxiety and depression alone affect close to 700 million, and each year around 700,000 individuals take their own lives, with more than half of those doing so before the age of 50."

"You would think that the scale of the problem would merit a proportionate investment. But overall, such a response is lacking, meaning that many people with mental illness struggle to access the treatment, care or support that they need. Governments spend a median of only 2% of total health budgets on mental-health services - and much less in low- and middle-income countries. Severe shortages of trained mental-health professionals persist almost everywhere."

"After a period of sustained growth between 2014 and 2020, overall funding for mental-health research globally entered a steep decline, and by 2023 had fallen back to 2014 levels in real terms. That's according to an analysis published last week by the International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders in Washington DC."

"Some 80% of all such funding comes from the United States, where the budget for the National Institute of Mental Health is under severe threat. By contrast, in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Australia, investment has been rising significantly. For instance, the global biomedical funder Wellcome in London spent £138 million (US$186 million) on mental health in 2025, according to its annual report."

More than one billion people worldwide live with mental-health conditions, including anxiety and depression affecting close to 700 million people. Around 700,000 people die by suicide each year, with more than half occurring before age 50. Investment in mental-health services is disproportionately low, with governments spending a median of 2% of total health budgets, and even less in low- and middle-income countries. Severe shortages of trained mental-health professionals persist. Mental-health research funding grew from 2014 to 2020 but then declined sharply, returning by 2023 to 2014 levels in real terms. Most research funding comes from the United States, while some regions show rising investment, including Wellcome’s 2025 spending.

Read at Nature