Introductory Message
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency charged with setting and supporting the national agenda for mental health research. It has been an incredibly exciting time for NIMH. Scientific advances are rapidly transforming neuroscience and mental health care. Just in the last five years, we have made considerable progress. In basic science, the genetic revolution has begun to pay off for mental health research—after facing some challenges, we have now identified hundreds of places in the genome linked to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, autism and depression. Thanks to the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative , we have new tools and resources that allow unprecedented insight into the exquisite complexities of the living brain. In translational sciences, we celebrated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of three of the first truly novel antidepressants in decades—esketamine for treatment-resistant depression in addition to brexanolone and zuranolone for postpartum depression. And in intervention research, NIMH-sponsored studies proving the effectiveness of coordinated specialty care for first episode psychosis led to nationwide implementation of this evidence-based care model through state-supported mental health clinics.
The future is bright. This NIMH Strategic Plan for Research aims to build on these advances. Over the next few years, we look forward to further implementation of suicide prevention efforts based on recent NIMH findings. These findings include studies demonstrating the benefit of universal screening in emergency departments for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and the benefits and challenges of predicting suicide risk using electronic health records and other digital tools. NIMH is also investing in practice-based research that examines mental health care delivery in real-world settings. For example, NIMH is pioneering the Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET), a learning healthcare network that will use data from community-based first episode psychosis clinics to enhance the delivery, evaluation, and continual improvement of evidence-based care. With the vision of increasing the reach of learning healthcare beyond psychosis, we have begun to encourage collaborations with more clinics, including Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, to address the needs of communities reliant on these public mental health care providers. These continuous advances drive the enthusiastic and energetic efforts of the research workforce devoted to our mission. And, more importantly, they offer hope and solutions to individuals with mental illnesses, as well as their families and communities.
NIMH has relied on its strategic plan to adapt to these challenges. We continue to collaborate with institutes, centers, and offices across NIH to fund projects to understand the mental health needs across a range of populations. All of these efforts are in line with our strategic priorities, particularly in the context of ongoing mental health disparities.
The NIMH Strategic Plan for Research maps our path. From basic research aimed at understanding how the brain produces behavior, to translational efforts to uncover novel treatment targets, to clinical studies testing novel approaches in community settings, we have charted numerous routes linking these challenges and opportunities. Each has the potential to deliver significant advances in mental health care. NIMH’s broad portfolio aims to ensure that our research will have public health impacts across a range of timeframes—from the near-term to the far-off future. At NIMH, we are proud of how far we have come, humbled by the distance yet to be traveled, and empowered by the hope that drives us forward.
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