Wales’ first centre designed to bring front-line mental health workers and Cardiff University’s world-leading researchers together to develop new ways of treating Welsh patients, has been announced.
The National Centre for Mental Health is Wales’ first Biomedical Research Centre designed to bring the talents of Cardiff’s leading experts together with mental health professionals to increase knowledge and improve patient care.
Funded by the Welsh Government’s National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR), the Centre will work closely with professionals in Health Boards in all parts of Wales.
Professor Nick Craddock from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine and a leading expert on Bipolar Disorder, will head-up the national centre. He said: “People with mental health problems need help and support to enable them to cope with their illness.
“Mental health problems can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, gender or social background. That is why it’s crucial that we have a national centre that brings together front-line professionals in all parts of Wales with academics to help develop the best possible treatments for Welsh patients.”
A key element of the National Centre’s work will be to improve life for patients – allowing patients to be involved in key areas of research, with their support, information and biological samples being used to help understanding of what causes and triggers mental illness.
Professor Jonathan Bisson, Director of Research and Development at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “The creation of The National Centre for Mental Health is fantastic news for Cardiff and Vale UHB.
“This will further strengthen our partnership with Cardiff University and lead to real benefits for the patients we treat.”
The National Centre will focus across the lifespan of mental illness: from childhood to old age including neuro-developmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism to the major adult psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
The bid was led by Professor Mike Owen who directs Cardiff University’s MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics and Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute.
Professor Owen said: “The potential in this area is immense with recent advances in genetics and neurosciences. What we need to do now is to involve more patients from across Wales and challenge the commonly held view that these disorders are not amenable to medical research.
“We also need to train and involve more psychiatrists and other healthcare workers in research and encourage more investment in this area which is grossly underfunded given the morbidity that mental illness causes.”
Professor Craddock added: “The creation of Wales’ first National Centre for Mental Health is an exciting development. More importantly it gives Wales’ leading academics the first coordinated opportunity to work directly with patients, not only to help them improve their mental health but also to improve the benefit of our research.”
