About the Mental Health BioResource
The NIHR BioResource for Mental Health focuses on recruiting participants experiencing mental health conditions, as well as healthy controls.
Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) is the largest such bioresource and has extensive phenotypic information and genetic data.
Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health disorders worldwide. In the UK, 1 in 3 people will experience symptoms during their lifetime. The GLAD Study aims to better understand depression and anxiety in order to find effective treatments and improve the lives of people experiencing these disorders.
Recruitment as of June 2024:
- 62,000 participants consented
- 50,000 questionnaire responses submitted
- 35,000 saliva sample kits returned
This year, we have launched recruitment for a 'control group' (participants without a mental health diagnosis) and aim to recruit 10,000 individuals.
A similar approach is being used to recruit participants to the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI). Apart from those with anorexia we also recruit conditions such as bulimia, binge eating and non-specified eating disorders.
Our aim is to collect the psychological, medical, and genetic information of 10,000 people with experience of any eating disorder. This will help us to better understand the role both our genes and environment play in the development of these illnesses.
Recruitment as of June 2024:
- 13,000 participants consented
- 9,000 questionnaire responses submitted
- 5,100 saliva sample kits returned
COVID
In response to the pandemic we launched multiple COVID19-related projects:
Our Centres and Programmes
The NIHR BioResource is a network of Centres that recruit participants locally and lead research programmes.
