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Mental health & wellbeing projects highlighted in UCL's Brain Awareness Week campaign
10 March 2026
UCL's Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing takes centre stage during UCL's Brain Awareness Week campaign, running from 16-22 March 2026.
Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign to foster enthusiasm and support for brain science. At UCL, it is an opportunity to showcase the pace of progress in brain research. This year, one of the key themes is mental health.
Improving mental health through innovative research, practice and partnerships for prevention and early intervention.
A YouGov survey from UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing has revealed a striking picture of youth mental health in the UK. According to polling of 16–25-year-olds, 64% have experienced mental health difficulties, and 32% expect to need support in the coming year. Respondents identified a range of pressures affecting their mental health, most notably experiences related to school or university (17%) and financial stress (16%). Young people not in work or education were particularly vulnerable, with nearly half (47%) reporting current mental health difficulties, compared with 32% of the overall sample.
Responding effectively requires a stronger emphasis on prevention and early intervention. This includes improving our ability to identify who is at greatest risk, when support is most needed, and what types of intervention are most likely to be effective. Such challenges cannot be addressed within disciplinary silos. Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing brings together researchers from across fields, reflecting the complex biological, psychological and social drivers of mental health difficulties and the need for integrated solutions. Find out more.
Interdisciplinary expertise to address mental health challenges
UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing aims to become a beacon for improvements in mental health and wellbeing through transformative cross-disciplinary research, practice and partnerships for prevention and early intervention. For Brain Awareness Week, Professor Essi Viding, Pro-Vice Provost for Mental Health & Wellbeing speaks about the importance of interdisciplinary research for advancing our understanding of mental health disorders and how to treat them.
Addressing challenges across the lifespan
At UCL, we adopt a 'lifespan' approach to mental health, and Brain Awareness Week is an opportunity to showcase the full spectrum of lifelong mental health research at UCL. This includes investigating how to protect the mental health of young people, understanding the impact of trauma on functioning in adulthood, and exploring the importance of music and movement for people with dementia.
AI’s potential to shape the future of mental health
Like many other areas of health, artificial intelligence is having a significant impact on mental health. For Brain Awareness Week, Professor Argyris Stringaris, Pro-Vice Provost Mental Health & Wellbeing shares insights on AI’s potential to shape the future of mental health diagnosis and treatment, along with some of the challenges we might face.