An international group of more than 400 mental health experts have identified 25 top research priorities which promise to improve the lives of people with mental, neurological, and substance-use disorders.

The Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health Initiative was organised by the US National Institutes of Health and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases. Experts from more than 60 countries came together to form the panel including clinicians, researchers, and programme organisers.

The top five challenges ranked by disease-burden reduction, impact on equity, immediacy of impact, and feasibility are:

1. Integrate screening and core packages of services into routine primary health care
2. Reduce the cost and improve the supply of effective medications
3. Provide effective and affordable community-based care and rehabilitation
4. Improve children’s access to evidence-based care by trained health providers in low- and middle-income countries
5. Strengthen the mental-health component in the training of all health-care personnel

Grand challenges in global mental health (PDF). Nature, 7th July 2011; 475: 27-30.