Funding for mental illness is facing a crisis and scientists are warning that new treatments will be delayed. There is a call for more investment and changes to the way trials take place. A summit of more than 60 representatives of governments, universities, pharmaceutical industry and patient groups reported that the results need to be changed.
Professor Guy Goodwin, from the University of Oxford, explained that there is a lack of funding that could lead to “generational crisis” in neuroscience research and training. There needs to be more money invested in brain research. Professor David Nutt describes the current situation as “madness” and states: "With Europe's extraordinary tradition in neuroscience innovation relying so heavily on private-sector investment, the consequences for the region's research base and public-health agenda are of major concern”. Professor Nutt explains that if things stop, the research will have a dead space of 20 to 30 years before they can re-tool again.
There is more than a quarter of the EU population that suffers from one or more neurological disorders every year. People are less willing to contribute to mental health research than to cancer research. Trials for new drugs for brain disorders now have to involve thousands to ensure safety.