NIMH Strategic Plan
It is with great pleasure that I present The National Institute of Mental Health
Strategic Plan (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/strategic-planning-reports).
This document represents the culmination of a year-long initiative launched
by NIMH to develop a new Strategic Plan that will serve as a guide to the Institute
for advancing mental health science over the next five years. Its development has
been a collaborative effort among scientific experts, advocacy groups, Institute
staff and more than 500 members of public who provided input.
NIMH’s mission is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses
through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure.
For NIMH to continue fulfilling this vital public health mission, the Institute must
foster innovative thinking and ensure that a full array of novel scientific perspectives
are used to further discovery in the evolving science of brain, behavior, and experience.
In this way, breakthroughs in science can become breakthroughs for all people with mental illnesses.
In support of this mission, NIMH will generate research and promote research
training to fulfill the following four objectives:
- Promote discovery in the brain and behavioral sciences to fuel research on
the causes of mental disorders
- Chart mental illness trajectories to determine when, where, and how to intervene
- Develop new and better interventions that incorporate the diverse needs and
circumstances of people with mental illnesses
- Strengthen the public health impact of NIMH-supported research
We are currently finalzing the new Strategic Plan’s layout and
graphic design, but wanted to ensure that its contents reached the public
as soon as possible. We encourage you to read over the Plan’s text
and check back in the coming weeks for a PDF version of the final document.
I thank you for your interest in NIMH and its important public health mission.
Sincerely,
Thomas R. Insel, M.D.
Director
