As 2024 comes to a close, it’s a great time to reflect on the breakthroughs made in mental health research over the past year. From ground-breaking studies to innovative treatments, the dedication of researchers and mental health professionals has brought us closer to understanding and addressing the challenges faced by so many.
In this review of the year, we’ll celebrate some of the most impactful successes from MQ’s work, and mental health research in 2024.
Finding what works in the treatment of psychosis
Psychosis affects around 7.2% of people and can be a very frightening and upsetting illness to experience.
With many new treatments coming on the market, it’s important to find out which treatments are effective for which people.
What treatments don't work for everyone?
The GALENOS study is a major project from Oxford University, funded by Wellcome and supported by MQ, along with many other global partners.
In the first of many Living Systematic Reviews (LSR), GALENOS reviewed the existing evidence and data about a particular type of treatment called TAAR1 Agonists. The LSR found that this type of treatment made little difference to the symptoms of psychosis.
A new treatment that works for some people
However, in a different study, researchers in the USA brought a new treatment to market called Cobenfy (KarXT) which is the first brand new drug for the treatment of schizophrenia in 50 years.
Initial testing has found that Cobenfy reduced the symptoms of psychosis over a five-week period for some of the people who took it. The drug has been licensed for use in the USA and is under review in the UK.
But what treatments are effective for everyone?
More research is needed to find treatments which are effective for everyone with psychosis.
MQ is supporting another research project from Oxford University, again funded by Wellcome, called PUMA. This 30-month project will compare a number of different treatments for psychosis with each other to determine which is the most effective. You can learn more here.
Understanding the true value of effective mental health treatments
Developing new treatments can be pricey, but the benefits for individuals who have their lives transformed can never be underestimated.
For this reason, at the start of the year, MQ partnered with Pro Bono Economics to examine the economic value of two new treatments, to help demonstrate to those who hold the national purse strings exactly what the true impact of making these widely available would be.
The value of ADIE
ADIE (Aligning Dimensions of Introspective Experience) is a new treatment developed to help autistic people with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The report calculated that making ADIE available to all autistic people suffering from GAD in the UK could lead to at least a temporary recovery for almost 6,000 people. The improvement to their quality of life over a year of recovery would have a value of £125-£170 million, or between £21,000 and £28,000 per person.
The value of LENS
LENS (Learning Effective New Strategies) is a remotely administered form of treatment to aid the recovery of those effected by GAD. The report found that if LENS were rolled out to the 1.4 million people in need in the UK, the improved quality of life they might experience would equate to £2.9 billion in economic benefits.
What impact does the internet have on our mental health?
In October, MQ, in partnership with Melbourne University, Harvard University’s Digital Psychiatry Institute and researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute, published a ground-breaking Report into the effects of the internet on the mental health of young people. Â
The report found that whilst social media use itself cannot be attributed to the rise in mental illnesses in young people, that doesn’t mean that tech companies are off the hook when it comes to their responsibilities for keeping young people healthy.
The report found that extensive internet use is not in itself harmful for young people, but rather it is the experiences that are had online which can impact the mental health and wellbeing of individuals.
Internet use can harm mental health if it displaces healthy habits such as sleep, academic work, sports and face-to-face interactions. This can negatively impact cognitive function, emotional regulation, academic performance, self-image and social relationships. However, online activities can also replace unhelpful ones, such as rumination patterns, loneliness, negative emotions or behaviours.
The report also found that there is a rapidly closing window for tech firms to build in protections and make their platforms safe for young people, as new technologies such as AI and quantum computing come on to the market. Â
The mission to expand research
The UK Government is on a mission to make the UK the most attractive place in the world for life science innovation.
MQ is supporting this mission by facilitating Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation, or PPIE.
The Mental Health Mission
The Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) in Liverpool has launched its 2024 online annual review to showcase its achievements over the past year, and provide an overview of the centre’s exciting plans for the year ahead.
The review features a new animation providing a basic overview of M-RIC, interactive graphics highlighting our key statistics and milestones from 2024, updates on their six research work packages, insights into their latest patient and public involvement and engagement activities, and an outline of their plans for 2025.
You can access the review here and the animation here.
Understanding how eating disorders develop
Eating Disorders can be some of the most life-limiting mental illnesses, but little is understood about how different eating disorders develop.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) mainly affects children and is not usually linked to concerns about body image.
In September, MQ researchers published their findings about the genetics which can influence food fussiness. By understanding more about how our genes can influence children’s relationship with food, it is hoped we can better understand how ARFID develops.
New research into PTSD
MQ was founded to better understand how mental health conditions begin, develop more effective treatments and ultimately prevent mental illnesses all together.
This year, our research is helping make breakthroughs for the x people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.
Understanding the risk
PTSD usually develops after a traumatic incident. This can be a one-off event such as an act of violence or accident, or an ongoing situation such as an abusive relationship.
Understanding why some people develop PTSD and others don’t is an important step in preventing it from happening.
For example, MQ researchers found that some refugees seeking asylum in Australia developed symptoms of PTSD during the asylum application process whilst others didn’t. The researcher found that refugees who were processed in off-shore detention centres were 20 x more likely to develop PTSD than those who were not.
In a separate study, researchers from the University of East Anglia examined why some children who experienced a traumatic event went on to develop PTSD whilst others didn’t. They determined that cognitive psychological factors—how children remember the event and perceive themselves afterward—are the strongest predictors of poor mental health outcomes following trauma.
Improving treatments
One of the most upsetting symptoms of PTSD is the intrusive memories of the trauma, often referred to as flashbacks.
One of MQ’s founding trustees and current Director of the MQ Foundation, Professor Emily Holmes has developed a single session treatment for frontline healthcare workers who developed PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The treatment includes playing the computer game Tetris and was found to reduce the instances of flashbacks.
Preventing the trauma in the first place
Through research, MQ is helping to present the evidence of what works and what doesn’t to policy makers to help them introduce national guidelines to protect our mental health.
Earlier this year, MQ contributed towards a Report from the Cross-Party Parliamentary Group for a Fit and Healthy Childhood which called for a national strategy on trauma.
In particular, the report focused on methods to reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences which can lead to the development of PTSD and contribute to other mental health conditions such as depression and GAD.
What does 2025 hold for mental health research?
As we look ahead to 2025, and the start of a new chapter with our incoming CEO, we have many research milestones, initiatives and events to look forward to.
There is plenty of industry-leading research from MQ and our partners upcoming in 2025. To name just a few:
Prof Valeria Mondelli, lead of the IDEA Flame project, will be publishing a paper in January in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry about her findings on the links between inflammation and depression in adolescents.
Click here to read some of the team’s early insights.
MQ will also be starting our first EU Horizon-funded project, SYNAPSING, which explores the connections within the neurons in our brains, and how they function.
The ATLAS of Longitudinal Datasets is being launched in January. The ATLAS is a groundbreaking web-based, searchable platform that maps thousands of longitudinal datasets from around the world.
The ATLAS will enhance the discoverability and facilitate accessibility of longitudinal data across key scientific disciplines such as mental health.
We will also see the results from our Transdisciplinary Grants early next year.
These projects saw MQ supporting mental health research in new scientific disciplines.
To hear about these exciting projects and be the first to know about new research keep an eye on our insights page or sign up to our newsletter for all the latest news.
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