National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH)

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Welcome to the National Centre for Mental Health

1 in 4 people are affected by mental health problems each year. We’re working to learn more about what causes these problems, from our environment and life experiences to our genetics and biological makeup.

By understanding the causes, we can work to develop better diagnosis, treatment and support for the future.

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Our Research Champions

Our Champions come from all walks of life, and they’ve all got their own stories to tell. Find out how their lives have been affected by mental health, why they’re passionate about our research, and how they’re helping us challenge stigma.

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36, Northeast England

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, South-west England

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57, Milton Keynes

NCMH Resources

Mental health leaflets

Download our range of mental health leaflets

Get free information on hundreds of mental health medications

Access our online tools and learn about our psychoeducation courses

Learn more about mental health and our research

News & Blog

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Becoming a Cardiff University Honorary Associate: Gerraint’s story

Making suicide and bipolar a research priority

The changing landscape of maternal mental health

Driving positive change in the workplace for people with learning disabilities and autism

Keeping my head above water: overcoming grief through surfing

Happy feet, happier brain: how I found myself in dancing

Register today: National project creating tools to support mental health of university students

Championing lived experience voices in brain health research

Third instalment of Women’s Winter Webinars series focuses on maternal mental health with Action on Postpartum Psychosis

NCMH researchers showcase digital tools at Welsh Government reception in Brussels

Using smart devices to predict episodes of psychosis

Join our patient and public involvement celebration

Second webinar instalment shares initial findings from world first genetic study into premenstrual dysphoric disorder

King's College London launches new website to support people making decisions around their mental health

How can the menopause negatively impact mental health?

Piece of Mind podcast: The hidden link between hormones and mental health

Investigating the lesser known symptoms of depression and anxiety

Schizophrenia in film and television - what's the reality?

New nationwide study into mental health conditions and dementia

Shedding light on the symptoms of ADHD in girls and women

Exploring ADHD in girls, young women, and non-binary people: Piece of Mind Podcast

Showcasing digital tools to treat and diagnose mental health conditions at Government event

Cardiff University joins global research effort to learn more about postpartum pyschosis

Cardiff University podcast returns to announce launch of nationwide study

Webinar: Psychosis and Schizophrenia – How research can make a difference

Traumatic loss of a child and timeless attachment: David's story

New study: understanding the impact of traumatic experiences

New Study: Girls Growing Up with ADHD

Bipolar UK launch the results of the Bipolar Commission in Wales with the National Centre for Mental Health

Getting young people with autism and learning disabilities into employment: NCMH finds out what works

Postpartum psychosis: from research to recovery

Making menstrual health a part of everyday conversation

Breaking the stigma: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

NCMH Researchers awarded government grant funding for veteran PTSD treatment

Let's talk: how to support someone's mental health

Give yourself a break: reframing New Year’s Resolutions

New study: Digital support for young people with their mood and wellbeing

National Centre for Mental Health wins at Cardiff University’s Celebrating Excellence Awards

Hormones and my mental mealth: PMDD makes me whole

Postpartum psychosis: what has the research told us so far?

National student mental health project comes to Cardiff

Webinar: Myths and misconceptions of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

New study aims to understand the causes of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

98% of people affected by eating disorders feel calories on menus will negatively impact them, new survey finds

Would you like to include the public in your mental health research?

Launch of UK's first genetics service to support patients and families

Online self-help therapy as effective as face-to-face: Four-year PTSD trial results revealed

Studying anxiety and sleep problems in people with bipolar disorder

Finding connection when feeling lonely

Where would we be without research? NCMH Director featured on new podcast

Increasing access to maternal mental health treatment could have a net benefit of half a billion pounds

People with pre-existing mental illnesses at further risk during pandemic restrictions, NCMH study finds

Having bipolar disorder isn't a life sentence

Five factors that could be affecting your sleep

Rare genetic conditions art project launches online gallery

Beat wants to ensure every person in Wales can access the help they need

Applications now open for Summer School in Brain Disorders Research 2022

Developmental Language Disorder in the classroom: 10 things I've learned about DLD

A more connected world gives us a better chance of understanding mental health

Welsh eating disorder services still a postcode lottery, new Beat report finds

Busting the Blue Monday myth

Postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder: research establishes genetic difference for the first time

Nine ways to help with loneliness at Christmas

Five ways we can look after our mental health at Christmas

Webinar: From menstruation to menopause – a reproductive mental health journey

Bipolar UK report: 56% of people with bipolar disorder in the UK are undiagnosed

More than half of new Dads in football study feel they have no support for their mental health

Electroconvulsive therapy: my last call for my mental health treatment

Collaborative study reveals new findings about ADHD in young adulthood

COVID-19 and ADHD study: Understanding the impact on children and their families

NCMH mental health education team nominated for sustainability award

Making lasting changes to improve our mental wellbeing

Celebrating ten years of mental health research at NCMH

How a breakdown in adulthood led to my ADHD diagnosis

‘Vital’ funding needed for Welsh eating disorder research, new report finds

How nature helped me in my PTSD recovery

NCMH: ten years of mental health research

Would you like to include the public in your research?

Share Your Rare: rare genetic conditions and mental health

Bipolar disorder: 11 pivotal moments that brought balance to my life during the pandemic

New study aims to capture the experiences of new mums

NCMH Director makes guest appearance on new Bipolar UK podcast

My complex PTSD and how I recovered from it

Complex PTSD: I thought I was a lost cause

10 things you may not know about PTSD

An act of kindness could change someone’s life

Using the sea to manage my depression

Nature’s impact on our well-being

Looking to include the public in your research?

Electroconvulsive therapy: friend or foe?

PMDD: understanding an overlooked condition

Mental health support for NHS Workers in Wales

How much do you know about autism?

New report launches on maternal mental health during a pandemic

Is a brain injury a mental health problem?

New NCMH study opens about ADHD in children and young people

Wellbeing tips for University Mental Health Day

New strategy needed to help people with a learning disability or autism into employment

What can we do to prevent loneliness?

You're not alone in feeling lonely

NCMH deputy director awarded Lord Ashcroft Research Award for new PTSD treatment for veterans

The residual effects of trauma in childhood

The voice: my experience of OCD

No one takes a child seriously: a personal account

Expressing yourself: teaching children about psychosis through drama

It's time to talk about reducing the stigma around ADHD

Hello to the Wolfson Centre

Fundraising for research: playing my part as a Research Champion

Protecting your mental health and wellbeing in January 2021

Studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health

Children's Mental Health Week 2021

Bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic

Christmas and COVID-19: looking after our mental health

Bipolar disorder and sleep: chasing the Zeds

The Power of the Sea

Bipolar and pregnancy: 10 top tips for staying well

Coronavirus and people with learning disabilities

Do one thing: starting small when it all feels too much

Finding support before breaking point

Climbing mountains: diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 57

Losing the black dog

Swipe right: help with brain research from home

Can you help us learn more about PMDD?

Children’s mental health during COVID-19

New survey will look at impact of COVID-19 crisis on people with mental health problems

A life lived without diagnosis

Wellbeing from the ground up

3MDR study: a new treatment for PTSD - Final report

The role of compassion and kindness during the pandemic

Kindness in a time of uncertainty

The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on people with learning disabilities

Maternal mental health support more important than ever during COVID-19

Activity in the face of adversity

Mental health support scheme extended to all frontline healthcare workers in Wales

Mental health and... magic mushrooms?

Changes to how we work during the Covid-19 outbreak

NCMH renewed for five years with £4.7m investment

Generational differences in perceptions of mental health

NCMH collaborates in new study offering fresh insight into autism in adults

Stress at Christmas: the importance of pets

Using NHS electronic health records to support mental health research

Let's talk about ADHD

Virtual reality treatment could help veterans living with PTSD

Podcast: Finding and losing schizophrenia

Adverse childhood experiences and the developing brain

Finding the best treatments to prevent PTSD

NSPCC fights for a fair start in Wales

Survey: transforming mental health support for children and young people with rare disorders

Finding and losing schizophrenia

Introducing Liz...

The psychedelic renaissance

POMpod takes San Fran

The highest highs and the lowest lows

Men's Health Week 2019

Learning more about ECT

Hannah and Seb's story

How body positivity helped me live my life

15,000 people take part in mental health research

When I struggle to take care of myself, I take care of them.

NCMH does GO TRI

The Fallacy of Functioning Labels

What part does social support play in PTSD?

Sleep: The golden chain for mental health

Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Tom's story

Rare Disease Day

Collaborating to advance support available to families

Finding our own meaning of health and happiness

Dump the scales campaign

Advancing Learning Disability Research in Wales

Banishing the myth of Blue Monday

Eating disorders: coping at Christmas

Bali: the power of positivity

Discovery of the first common genetic risk factors for ADHD

New international guidelines on treating PTSD

JAMMIND: As it happened

Stress Awareness Week 2018

Bonfire night and PTSD

Representing the Mind

Public Involvement accolade for NCMH-PÂR

Shining a spotlight on autism in adults

World Mental Health Day 2018

Understanding sleep problems

Piece of Mind sleep special

JAMMIND: Mental health in gaming

More than a hobby: Photography

Training the brain to treat depression

Mental health stigma and ECT

New mums face gaps in vital specialist mental health services

PTSD: detecting hidden trauma

Having a severe mental illness often means dying before your time

Mapping progress in maternal mental health services

Battling Anorexia

Guided self-help: a new treatment in PTSD?

Take a shot at stigma!

Study finds increased risk of unnatural death to people with epilepsy

Why is ADHD More Common in Boys Than Girls?

Interpreting mental health

Express Yourself 2018

International Women's Day

A Café Full of Science

Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Jordan

Phobia charity opens first support group in Wales

Having to hide who I was affected my mental health

#BeingOurselves: Children's Mental Health Week 2018

Have you experienced self-harm?

Celebrating 10,000 participants

Making Monday less blue

Solving the cognitive puzzle of mental health

Piece of Mind - a podcast on mental health and psychiatry

Submissions open for Express Yourself Exhibition 2018!

STAR award for former Project SEARCH intern

Mental health at Christmas: Loneliness

Social media and mental health

Traumatic Stress Research Group: Interview with a Veteran (Part 3)

Traumatic Stress Research Group: Interview with a Veteran (Part 2)

Alcohol Awareness Week

Traumatic Stress Research Group: Interview with a Veteran (Part 1)

New report highlights lack of services for people with ADHD

What is stress and what can we do about it?

Parenting a child with ADHD

More Good Days Than Bad

Spotting The Signs

ADHD – you thought you knew what it stood for?

The good, the bad and the misunderstood

Cardiff City and Met Korfball Club is #teamNCMH

Cut it out! Pumpkin carving competition

Engage to Change: enhancing employment opportunities for people with a learning disability or autism

Managing my mental health at work

Why we should remember shell shock

My name is Joanne

Me, myself and I – living with mental health gremlins

World Suicide Prevention Day: Let's keep talking

Mental health at school and university

Life with my demons: what it's like to have a mental breakdown

Looking after your mental health during the summer holidays

Navigating airports with autism

Spotlight on: Engage to Change

New resource being created for early intervention in psychosis

Perinatal mental health survey launched

New programme to help people with a learning disability better manage their mental health

International Fathers' Mental Health Day

A carer's perspective

Initiative launched to promote talking therapies

Have you heard of 22q?

Maternal mental health matters

Getting active for your mental health

10 things that might be making you depressed

Tackling stigma through film

Autism in girls: the gender split

Delivering better maternal mental health care: a diagnosis

University Mental Health Day: Express Yourself Art Exhibition

University and mental health: how to prepare for the big transition

The rise of male eating disorders

Writing out PTSD

Ten things you didn’t know about ADHD

We’re hosting an art exhibition!

Keep calm and eat well

Calling participants to sign up for HealthWise Wales study

Depression in older adults

Mindfulness: is it for me?

ADHD Open Day for families a success

EASPD study: more inclusive labour markets will bring economic and social return

Don’t get SAD this winter

New study reveals 28% rise in antidepressant prescribing amongst 6-18 year olds

Monthly support group for young people with bipolar

World Suicide Prevention day: 7 key areas we need to understand

OCD awareness: debunking the myths

NCMH collaborator acknowledged in new report into disability-related out-of-work benefits

Clic – a new online community for people in Wales affected by a mental illness

FREE Inside Out film screening for children and parents

A beginner’s guide to genetic studies

Connect for recovery

NCMH to play key role in £10m learning disability project

Music meets mental health at Lunchtime Live

A woman on a mission

Referee Norling blows whistle on mental health

NCMH provides Eastenders storyline advice

Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Cardiff’s MRC Centre

President’s Medal for Professor Thapar

Honorary Fellowship for Professor Ian Jones

Wynne Evans has a close shave in support of Movember and NCMH

#ResurrectYourMo at the NCMH Movember Launch

Professor Mike Kerr honoured for epilepsy research

NCMH plays key role in leading text book

Scientists identify schizophrenia’s ‘Rosetta Stone’ gene

Our week as mental health researchers

Help APP raise awareness of maternal mental health

£3m funding renewal for NCMH research

Bipolar education programme wins prestigious award

Roundup: It’s a Man Thing

Witches Abroad a sell-out success for Monstrous Productions

Rhythm of the night: sleep and mental health

NCMH raise £231 for Bipolar UK

Poster Success for NCMH

NCMH appoints new Deputy Director

New research finds common ground between mental illnesses

This programme saved my life

Theatre company makes ‘monster’ contribution to research

PlusOne not enough for volunteer Lydia

NCMH contributes to Cardiff University REF success

Communications Officer shortlisted for University’s Excellence Awards

Lancet publishes pregnancy and childbirth mental health series

Professor Anita Thapar awarded prestigious Ruane Prize

Monstrous Productions raise another £2000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK

Research links bipolar disorder and physical health problems

Maternal mental health is everyone's business

Report highlights cost of pregnancy related mental health problems

NCMH sponsored Monstrous Productions aim for third time lucky

Make a difference for Wales on World Mental Health Day

Last Chance Saloon series to air on TV

NCMH Alzheimer’s expert appointed as Academy of Medical Sciences Fellow

NCMH investigator Prof Mike Owen receives knighthood

NCMH screens new mental health documentary

NCMH appoints new Director

NCMH joins rock photographer in mental health films

Bipolar education programme shortlisted for major award

Last Chance Saloon trailer online now

Could you become an NCMH Research Champion?

Drama production raises £2000 for Alzheimer’s research

Study sheds new light on schizophrenia

NCMH launches Welsh language website

NCMH features in mental health film

Over 2000 take part in NCMH research

Theatre company aims for repeat of Alzheimer’s charity success

Open event highlights Alzheimer’s and dementia research

NCMH offers HeadSpace for Cardiff Christmas shoppers

NCMH hosts annual research conference

BRAINTRAIN project aims to develop new treatment techniques

NCMH academic wins psychiatry research prize

NCMH investigator helps uncover Alzheimer’s genes

Together we can beat Mental Illness

Take part in our bipolar education courses

Online programme helps beat bipolar disorder

NCMH Professor begins NISCHR director role

NCMH Alzheimer’s expert appointed new Chief Scientist for Wales

NCMH joins MRC centenary celebrations

RCPsych responds to BBC Panorama on antidepressants and pregnancy

Celebrating success as Wales reaches 10,000 Mental Health First Aiders

Chief Executive for NHS Wales supports NCMH Research