Reflections on Emily Wheeler, Director of Research Partnerships and Development, MQ Mental Health Research
This year’s True Mental Health Summit is a masterclass that challenges the meaning of the status quo, bringing together a group of people who are passionate about mental health, but it’s often not in the same room.
It’s all about catalyzing meaningful investment and cross-sectoral collaboration in construction that puts people and evidence at the center of mental health innovation. It was an exciting opportunity to speak on the panel at the end of the two days to enable mental health to invest and see our own MQ ambassador Austin Okolo end the entire summit with his keynote on the voice of the future.
As a philanthropic partner of the summit, MQ is proud to see such a wide range of stakeholders – from institutional investors and home offices to frontline clinicians and founders, many have publicly shared their life experiences with mental illness challenges – how do we really invest in mental health? More importantly, how do we ensure that these investments translate into real-world impacts?
Why money matters – Where should I go?
A key theme throughout the event is the growing demand for smarter funding models. Great ideas got stuck – they don’t have a clear path to develop into services that help people on a large scale.
This is where mixed finance and catalytic capital are, etc. These methods are ways to mix different kinds of funds (such as grants and investments) to share risks and support long-term progress.
The call is obvious: Mental health was the climate ten years ago. Now is the time to create infrastructure, share frameworks and collaborate capital (charity and investment).
From treating symptoms to supporting the whole person
Speakers talk about exciting tools such as digital health apps, psychedelics and AI, but the real focus is on people and how to support their health, not just to relieve symptoms. Key points include:
- Prevention and early support can save money and life – we need to act early, not wait until the crisis.
- They may help if digital tools are created with the people who will use them and avoid further isolating people.
- Success should not be measured by only fewer symptoms – we need to ask: How does this person live? Are they back to work? Do they have hope?
