THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: SHORT-TERM PRIORITIES AND LONG-TERM GOALS
January 30, 2012 In his most recent 'Director's Blog', National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Director Thomas Insel comments on the conflicting priorities that have been voiced by the Institute's advisory council regarding the types of research programs that should be funded by the NIMH:
"Some advisors want more funds in services research; other advisors want more funds in basic neuroscience. Some are thinking of the immediate needs; others are focused on the paradigm shifts that may be revealed by another decade of research."
There is clearly a need for both short-term needs and long-term goals to be addressed, but this is quite challenging particularly at a time when the NIMH budget is constrained. Dr. Insel concurs that programs that encourage the implementation of evidence-based practices and ensure access to currently available treatments should certainly be supported by the NIMH, as these will address the very real needs that currently exist. At the same time, he suggests that this short-term focus must be balanced with an investment in neuroscience research that will provide a better understanding of the brain and various mental disorders, with the goal that this will, in time, result in the development of truly novel and highly effective treatments against these disorders:
"In many cases patients receiving the best of current care are not recovering. We can blame the mental health care system, the absence of insurance or providers, or stigma, but the inconvenient truth is that our treatments are not good enough. NIMH has a critical role for ensuring that more effective medications, devices, and psychosocial treatments are available in the future."
In short, Dr. Insel argues that, while short-term objectives must not be ignored, long-term goals will be met only if fundamental discovery science receives significant support from the NIMH. We will hope that the innovations that may ultimately emerge via basic neuroscience research will result in the development of medications and treatments that are far more effective than those available today.