Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science

doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1

Review

. 2020 Jun;7(6):547-560.

doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1. Epub 2020 Apr 15.

Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science

Emily A Holmes¹, Rory C O'Connor², V Hugh Perry³, Irene Tracey⁴, Simon Wessely⁵, Louise Arseneault⁵, Clive Ballard⁶, Helen Christensen⁷, Roxane Cohen Silver⁸, Ian Everall⁵, Tamsin Ford⁹, Ann John¹⁰, Thomas Kabir¹¹, Kate King¹², Ira Madan¹³, Susan Michie¹⁴, Andrew K Przybylski¹⁵, Roz Shafran¹⁶, Angela Sweeney¹⁷, Carol M Worthman¹⁸, Lucy Yardley¹⁹, Katherine Cowan²⁰, Claire Cope²¹, Matthew Hotopf²², Ed Bullmore²³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
² Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
³ UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.
⁴ Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁵ Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁶ University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
⁷ Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia.
⁸ Department of Psychological Science, Department of Medicine, and Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, USA.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁰ Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
¹¹ The McPin Foundation, London, UK.
¹² Independent, Cambridge, UK.
¹³ Department of Occupational Health, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁴ UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁵ Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹⁶ UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁷ Population Health Research Institute, St George's University of London, London, UK.
¹⁸ Anthropology Faculty, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
¹⁹ School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
²⁰ Katherine Cowan Consulting Ltd, St Leonards-on-Sea, UK.
²¹ Academy of Medical Sciences, London, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
²² Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the Maudsley, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK.
²³ Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Research and Development, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.

PMID: 32304649
PMCID: PMC7159850
DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1

Review

Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science

Emily A Holmes et al. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020 Jun.

. 2020 Jun;7(6):547-560.

doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1. Epub 2020 Apr 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
² Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
³ UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.
⁴ Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁵ Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁶ University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
⁷ Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia.
⁸ Department of Psychological Science, Department of Medicine, and Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, USA.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁰ Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
¹¹ The McPin Foundation, London, UK.
¹² Independent, Cambridge, UK.
¹³ Department of Occupational Health, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁴ UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁵ Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹⁶ UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁷ Population Health Research Institute, St George's University of London, London, UK.
¹⁸ Anthropology Faculty, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
¹⁹ School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
²⁰ Katherine Cowan Consulting Ltd, St Leonards-on-Sea, UK.
²¹ Academy of Medical Sciences, London, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
²² Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the Maudsley, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK.
²³ Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Research and Development, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.

PMID: 32304649
PMCID: PMC7159850
DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health and physical health. We explore the psychological, social, and neuroscientific effects of COVID-19 and set out the immediate priorities and longer-term strategies for mental health science research. These priorities were informed by surveys of the public and an expert panel convened by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the mental health research charity, MQ: Transforming Mental Health, in the first weeks of the pandemic in the UK in March, 2020. We urge UK research funding agencies to work with researchers, people with lived experience, and others to establish a high level coordination group to ensure that these research priorities are addressed, and to allow new ones to be identified over time. The need to maintain high-quality research standards is imperative. International collaboration and a global perspective will be beneficial. An immediate priority is collecting high-quality data on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the whole population and vulnerable groups, and on brain function, cognition, and mental health of patients with COVID-19. There is an urgent need for research to address how mental health consequences for vulnerable groups can be mitigated under pandemic conditions, and on the impact of repeated media consumption and health messaging around COVID-19. Discovery, evaluation, and refinement of mechanistically driven interventions to address the psychological, social, and neuroscientific aspects of the pandemic are required. Rising to this challenge will require integration across disciplines and sectors, and should be done together with people with lived experience. New funding will be required to meet these priorities, and it can be efficiently leveraged by the UK's world-leading infrastructure. This Position Paper provides a strategy that may be both adapted for, and integrated with, research efforts in other countries.

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References

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[1] McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. 2016. https://files.digital.nhs.uk/pdf/q/3/mental_health_and_wellbeing_in_engl...

[2] McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. 2016. https://files.digital.nhs.uk/pdf/q/3/mental_health_and_wellbeing_in_engl...

[3] Ford T, Vizard T, Sadler K, et al. Data resource profile: the mental health of children and young people surveys (MHCYP) Int J Epidemiol. 2020 doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz259. published online Jan 18. - DOI - PubMed

[4] Ford T, Vizard T, Sadler K, et al. Data resource profile: the mental health of children and young people surveys (MHCYP) Int J Epidemiol. 2020 doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz259. published online Jan 18. - DOI - PubMed

[5] Holmes EA, Craske MG, Graybiel AM. Psychological treatments: a call for mental-health science. Nature. 2014;511:287–289. - PubMed

[6] Holmes EA, Craske MG, Graybiel AM. Psychological treatments: a call for mental-health science. Nature. 2014;511:287–289. - PubMed

[7] The Academy of Medical Sciences 2020. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/COVIDmentalhealthsurveys

[8] The Academy of Medical Sciences 2020. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/COVIDmentalhealthsurveys

[9] Ipsos MORI. Covid-19 and mental wellbeing. 2020. https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/Covid-19-and-mental-wellbeing

[10] Ipsos MORI. Covid-19 and mental wellbeing. 2020. https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/Covid-19-and-mental-wellbeing

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Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science

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Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science

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