Health research funding
BMJ 2006; 332 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7556.1510 (Published 22 June 2006) Cite this as: BMJ 2006;332:1510
Mental health research continues to be underfunded…
- David Kingdon, professor of mental health care delivery (dgk{at}soton.ac.uk)
EDITOR—The UK Clinical Research Collaboration's graph showing funding for research in 2004-5 by disease area compared with estimates of disability adjusted life year or DALY is misleading.1 DALYs for neurological disorders and mental health have been combined, suggesting that funding for the area approximately equates proportionally to them. If they are separated funding for mental health remains substantially lower than is warranted by its impact on health and the priority given to it by the government (figure). Mental health research also receives very little funding from other sources—for example, charities and industry. As the overwhelming response to the MRC Brain Sciences Appeal showed last year, this is now an area where rapid expansion of research is possible and funding should now reflect it.
Funding for UK research in 2004-5 by disease area and disability adjusted life year (DALY)
Footnotes
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Competing interests DK applies for grants for mental health research.
References
- 1.↵