about us

The Institute of Mental Health was launched in 2006 in Nottingham to help transform our understanding and treatment of mental illness.  We have grown rapidly and can now be considered as the UK’s prime location for inter-disciplinary research in the mental health field.

Our mission is to improve people’s lives through the use of ground-breaking research and pioneering educational activities. We are dedicated to improving the care and treatment provided by frontline services through innovating, developing, exploiting and distributing knowledge about mental health.

• Promote research
• Support clinical innovation
• Provide educational courses
• Act as an expert resource in promoting best practice

The Institute is a partnership between Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham. We currently attract £6 million each year in external research grants to fund our work, have 20 full professors among our staff and publish about 175 peer-reviewed journal papers a year.

Our growing reputation was recognised in 2008 with an external award of £17 million to set up a new service-facing research centre. This centre is called the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire (otherwise known as the CLAHRC-NDL). The CLAHRC will accelerate the use of research in improving patient care across the region.

Our portfolio of training and development opportunities attracts approximately 1,000 students each year. Courses offered include one-off modules, diplomas, degrees and masters qualifications in mental health. 

There are seven sections of the Institute:

• Children and Young People
• Forensic
• Health, Behaviour and Society
• Innovation and Business Development
• Learning and Teaching Committee
• Mind, Brain and Development
• Personality Disorder Institute

There are also a number of units of the Institute:

• Academic Board
• Centre for Trauma, Resilience and Growth
• Centre for Health and Justice
• Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC)
• Cochrane Schizophrenia Group
• Managed Innovation Networks(MINs)
• NIHR Mental Health Research Network, East Midlands and South Yorkshire Hub
• Peaks Academic Research Unit