Mental health is 'Cinderella' of NHS

Published on Sunday 22 November 2009 22:12

NEW treatments for common mental health problems such as depression have been held back by a lack of funding for research, an expert has warned.

One in four people will experience a mental health condition during their lifetime and these illnesses cost Scotland billions of pounds a year.

But despite this massive burden, researchers have struggled to attract funding to find new treatments to help the many millions of sufferers across the UK.

Professor Stephen Lawrie, director of the Scottish Mental Health Research Network, which is launched this week, said government and the public had to act now to increase funding for mental health research and help more patients.

The warning comes after recent high-profile cases of mental illness. Last week, cyclist Graeme Obree said he had been forced to abandon a comeback after a new world record attempt left him in a pit of depression.

Earlier this month, the world of football was rocked by the suicide of German goalkeeper Robert Enke, who also suffered from depression.

Prof Lawrie said that research was an expensive, but very necessary, process in finding new treatments for depression and other illnesses.

The professor of psychiatry at Edinburgh University said figures for 2006 estimated that 175 million working days were lost due to mental health-related sickness absence.

In addition, one in four GP sick notes had a mental health diagnosis, but 40 per cent of all sick time taken off was due to mental ill-health.

Prof Lawrie blamed the lack of research funding for the slow progress being made towards new treatments for mental health disorders.

"Part of the reason, arguably, that our understanding of mental ill-health and treatment of mental ill-health has not advanced as much as it has for heart disease and cancer is because we don't get anything near as much in terms of resources," he said.

Prof Lawrie hopes the Scottish Mental Health Research Network will help researchers make the most of what funding it does manage to attract. The network is receiving about 440,000 a year from the Chief Scientist Office to help fund its work.

Suzie Vestri, from mental health campaign group See Me, said: "

More funding is always needed for mental health and we welcome the launch of the research network, which we hope will advance Scotland's knowledge base about mental health and mental illness."

Scottish minister for public health Shona Robison said: "We are aware there is a need for more quality research in this area and that is why we welcome the launch of the network."

'I took a substantial overdose. The timing was carefully calculated'

BOB Bogle believe it is vital more funding is put into mental health research, having suffered depression throughout his life.

With his mother ill and his father suffering alcohol dependency, he became depressed and attempted suicide aged 18.

"I took a fairly substantial overdose. The timing was carefully calculated so I would be left alone for as long as possible," Mr Bogle said. "But my father found me and a neighbour who was medically qualified rushed me to A&E."

Mr Bogle was able to recover, continue with his university studies and started a career in academia.

But after his marriage broke down and his father died, his problems returned and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his mid-30s.

Mr Bogle, who lives in Glasgow, said he had a good experience with mental health services and was helped by medication and other therapies.

Despite all this help, the 40-year-old suffered another bout of illness and was diagnosed with hypomanic bipolar disorder and put on more treatment.

Mr Bogle was later able to return to full-time work having left his academic job and started volunteering, which he said gave him back his self-esteem.

"That led to the job I am in now," he said. "I actually manage volunteers in Glasgow.

"It is the best job in the world."

For the last three years Mr Bogle has been well and getting on with his life and is no longer on medication.

He said the new research network looking at mental health was "fantastic" as funding in this area had previously been left behind.

"For a long time mental health wasn't attractive or on top of people's agenda. Now I think there is an awakening."