Health Guide USA Commentary: National Institute of Mental Health, Our Trusted Link for August 2021

Thursday, August 26, 2021

National Institute of Mental Health, Our Trusted Link for August 2021

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. Its mission is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. Their goals include

defining the brain mechanisms underlying behavior
examining the course of mental illness in lives (example)
working to prevent and cure mental illness
improving public health.

Their major programs include

funding and performing prevention research
sharing mental health science worldwide
tracking environmental influences
studying how other medical conditions contribute to mental illness
integrating different levels of information, from cellular to behavioral, in order to advance understanding
running clinical trials for mental health treatments
analyzing large datasets for potential causes of disorders
studying behavioral issues in HIV/AIDS prevention as well as neurological effects of the disease and treatments
training mental health scientists.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the original agency was chartered in 1946 by President Harry Truman. Since 1992, it has been part of the National Institutes of Health. Its 2020 budget was $1.63 billion, with over 500 employees.

Hundreds of free brochures, guides, reports and fact sheets, some in Spanish as well as English, are available. Some are written for consumers, some for health professionals. Many are available in either printed or PDF format. Shipping charges are applied.

In addition to multimedia presentations and videos, NIMH provides online viewing of the Director's Innovation Speaker Series, a series of lectures dedicated to innovation, invention, and scientific discovery

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