In case you have just woken up, today is World Mental Health Day.  This year’s focus is on schizophrenia but a lot of other things are going on about mental health issues in general.

In no particular order, but with thanks to friends and colleagues for sending these to me, here are some interesting things happening with a research flavour:

A new Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders (AMHRF) has been established with some fantastic names associated with it such as the McPin Foundation.  The Alliance has been quick of the mark in issuing a manifesto for mental health research with one eye most clearly on next year’s General Election.

The British Psychological Society and Royal College of Psychiatrists have called for more funding for mental health research.  See here. A special issue of Evidence-Based Mental Health has been produced with a focus on schizophrenia and the magazine is also doing a tweet chat on 17th October – hashtag is #ebmhchat.

From an NIHR point of view you may wish to check out the PARADES study being conducted out of Nottingham University looking at bipolar disease.  It’s £2 million over 5 years with the aim of helping people with bipolar disease manage their condition themselves.  Official NIHR stuff here.

It would be remiss not to mention the new James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership in bipolar disease being conducted by the NIHR BRC at Oxford, the mental health research charity ‘MQ’ and others.

And the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt is making a speech at the Royal College of Psychiatrists today setting out a ream of new measures including a push to get FTSE 100 companies to sign up to the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign, performing performance tables for NHS Trusts of mental health, and asking the College President, Simon Wesseley, to lead a group to define good mental health practice.  How do I know? Because the Dundee local press say so.

Very happy to add contributions and other items.