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Priority Research Areas - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
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Learn more about NIMH research areas, policies, resources, and initiatives.</p> </a> </div> </div> <div class="menu_flexbox_span6"> <div class="menu_inner"> <a class="megamenu_nav_i" href="/research/research-conducted-at-nimh"> <h2>Research Conducted at NIMH (Intramural Research Program)</h2> <p>The Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP) is the internal research division of the NIMH. Over 40 research groups conduct basic neuroscience research and clinical investigations of mental illnesses, brain function, and behavior at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Learn more about research conducted at NIMH.</p> </a> </div> </div> <div class="menu_flexbox_span6"> <div class="menu_inner"> <a class="megamenu_nav_i" href="/research/priority-research-areas"> <h2>Priority Research Areas</h2> <p>Learn about NIMH priority areas for research and funding that have the potential to improve mental health care over the short, medium, and long term.</p> </a> </div> </div> <div class="menu_flexbox_span6"> <div class="menu_inner"> <a class="megamenu_nav_i" href="/research/research-funded-by-nimh/research-resources"> <h2>Resources for Researchers</h2> <p>Information about resources such as data, tissue, model organisms and imaging resources to support the NIMH research community.</p> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div id="funding-megamenu" class="megamenu"> <div class="menu_flexbox_span3"> <div class="menu_inner"> <a class="megamenu_nav_i" href="/funding/opportunities-announcements"> <h2>Opportunities & Announcements</h2> <p>Find all NIMH and cross-NIH funding 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helper modal"><i class="fas fa-print"></i></button> </div> </div> </section> <div class="row"> <div class="flex_main_container col-md-12"> <div class="visible-xs sidebar-menu-helper"> <p class="leftnav_menu_toggle sb-toggle-left">Menu <i class="fas fa-long-arrow-alt-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> </p> </div> <aside class="layout-sidebar-first" role="complementary"> <nav> <div class="areanav"> <ul> <li class="current-page">Priority Research Areas</li> <li><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/suicide-research">Suicide Research</a></li> <li><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/genomics-research">Genomics Research</a></li> <li><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/mental-health-disparities-research">Mental Health Disparities Research</a></li> <li><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/global-mental-health-research">Global Mental Health Research</a></li> <li class="areanav-submenu"> <a href="/research/priority-research-areas/global-mental-health-research/global-mental-health-vista-awards">VISTA Awards: Visionary Innovators Shaping Tomorrow's Advancements <i class="fa-solid fa-angle-right"></i></a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </aside> <div id="main_content" class="areanav-true sidebar-false"> <main id="main-content"> <article id="main_content_inner"> <div> <div id="block-nimhtheme-page-title" class="block block-core block-page-title-block"> <h1 class="splashBanner__title" >Priority Research Areas</h1> </div> <div id="block-nimhtheme-content" class="block block-system block-system-main-block"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><div data-history-node-id="10345" class="node node--type-basic-page node--view-mode-full clearfix"> <div class="node__content clearfix"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has identified priority areas for research and funding that have the potential to improve mental health care over the short, medium, and long term.</p><p>To support these priority areas, teams of NIMH staff and researchers provide guidance on scientific, funding, and policy matters across the Institute. NIMH staff also facilitate the development of research initiatives and funding opportunities. Each team makes substantial contributions to their respective fields that deepen our understanding of science and mental health within the Institute and the larger biomedical research community.</p><p>NIMH continues to support the use of <a href="/research/research-funded-by-nimh/rdoc/research-domain-criteria-rdoc" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="17149ce0-060d-4cbb-94b7-5fc077e0907e" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)</a> as a framework for investigating mental disorders across many different research areas. RDoC encourages investigators to explore the basic biological and cognitive processes that lead to mental health and illness outside the confines of diagnostic categories. RDoC research focuses on transdiagnostic constructs of psychopathology, along a range of functioning, to help understand the development, progression, and treatment of mental illness.</p><div class="group equal"><div class="col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 margin-top-sm"><div class="border-box text-small pad-small"><h2><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/suicide-research" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="9c4a7e15-7893-471a-88e8-8badd5c85abf" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Suicide</a></h2><p>Suicide is an urgent, complex public health crisis. The Suicide Research Team was formed as part of NIMH’s commitment to helping reduce the suicide rate by 20% by 2025.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 margin-top-sm"><div class="border-box text-small pad-small"><h2><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/genomics-research" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="1a1a4f1c-8bf6-4164-8245-ff75872a0be7" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Genomics</a></h2><p>The Genomics Team helps shape the field of genomic psychiatry, the study of genes to improve risk prediction, prevention, diagnosis, treatment selection, and causes of mental illnesses. The Genomics Team has initiated many programs from basic gene discovery to clinical translational efforts.</p></div></div></div><div class="group equal"><div class="col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 margin-top-sm"><div class="border-box text-small pad-small"><h2><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/mental-health-disparities-research" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="3f05cba8-1883-43ce-aee6-5e051b4e04d8" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Mental Health Disparities</a></h2><p>The Disparities Team promotes innovative and high-impact mental health research that enhances our understanding of minority mental health and health disparities, reduces mental health disparities and their impact on individuals and communities, and moves us toward achieving mental health equity.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 margin-top-sm"><div class="border-box text-small pad-small"><h2><a href="/research/priority-research-areas/global-mental-health-research" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="85266c5f-1d1f-4b35-b62f-24ea0f5626c0" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Global Mental Health</a></h2><p>The Global Mental Health Team helps shape and advance NIMH’s efforts to improve the lives of people living with or at risk for mental illnesses in low-resource settings worldwide.</p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </body></html> </div> </div> </article> </main> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer id="footer-contact"> <div class="footer-container container"> <div> <div id="block-contactusfooter" class="block block-block-content block-block-contentc7a9e7bc-56ff-41ac-8678-60f3a9a54eeb"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h2>NIMH Information Resource Center</h2><div><span class="small">Available in English and español</span></div><div class="row"><div class="col-xl-6 col-lg-6 col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-12"><p class="phone"><em><i class="fas fa-phone" aria-hidden="true"> </i></em> <strong>Phone: </strong> <a href="tel:1-866-615-6464">1-866-615-6464</a> <br><em><i class="far fa-comments" aria-hidden="true"> </i></em> <strong>Live Online Chat: </strong> <a href="https://infocenter.nimh.nih.gov">Talk to a representative</a> <br><em><i class="far fa-envelope" aria-hidden="true"> </i></em> <strong>Email: </strong> <a href="mailto:nimhinfo@nih.gov">nimhinfo@nih.gov</a> <br><em><i class="far fa-clock" aria-hidden="true"> </i></em><strong>Hours:</strong> 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET, M-F</p></div><div class="col-xl-6 col-lg-6 col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-12"><p><strong>Mail: </strong> National Institute of Mental Health <br>Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communications <br>6001 Executive Boulevard, MSC 9663 <br>Bethesda, MD 20892-9663</p></div></div></div> </div> <div id="block-nimhtheme-linkdisclaimer" class="block block-block-content block-block-content43e6eaa7-a06a-4a06-9eff-b06d3dded90d"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><div id="footer-disclaimer"><h2>Disclaimer</h2><p>We link to external websites for informational purposes only, but we do not endorse or guarantee their accuracy. 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