Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) welcomed a crowded room to the Friends of NIMH briefing: The Evolution of Mental Health Research: Better Science, More Effective Treatments, and Broader Impacts on May 2. The Senator spoke passionately, with a depth of knowledge about mental health research and burdens. The event was cohosted by the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus and moderated by Jim Diaz-Granados, PhD, Deputy CEO of the American Psychological Association (APA).
NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon provided a brief history of the institute that was established in the years after Truman signed the Mental Health Act on July 3, 1946. Dr. Gordon expressed gratitude for the bipartisan interest in and support for mental health research and acknowledged the tremendous burden to individuals and their families, as well as growing concerns about mental health disparities.
He described the NIMH research continuum that advances our understanding of the brain, identifying major research advances from behavioral cognitive therapies to pharmacological and systems approach to care. Dr. Gordon emphasized that a commitment to real world impacts – not just scientific approaches leading to diagnosis, interventions, and treatments.
Dr. Gordon was joined by Dr. Michelle Craske, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA Grand Challenge, developing scalable treatment models for underserved populations including the STAND program for screening and treating anxiety and depression. Mr. Robert Kolker, two-time NYT best-selling nonfiction author and National Magazine Award finalist and author of the 2020 “Hidden Valley Road” instant #1 bestseller of a mid-century American family that became science’s great hope for understanding the roots and nature of schizophrenia served as the third panelist. The three experts discussed the process of science and the evolution of our knowledge and actions over time to more effectively treat individuals.
FABBS and APA co-chair the Friends of NIMH and organized the event with support from executive committee organizations including: American Brain Coalition, American Psychiatric Association, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, and University of California Los Angeles.
