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Feature: Revolutionising mental health through community, research and collaboration
13 May 2025
Mental health touches every corner of our lives, and researchers at UCL are making it their mission to ensure it remains a priority for all.
By joining forces with practitioners, industry leaders, and community partners, UCL is spearheading efforts to address mental health challenges head-on.
This year, to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 (12-18 May) – themed ‘Community’ – UCL has highlighted its Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing with four new impact case studies that demonstrate how pioneering research is transforming lives globally, nationally and locally.
The projects, which all straddle interdisciplinary research, practical applications, and strategic partnerships, demonstrate how UCL is fostering a collaborative environment that drives groundbreaking mental health discoveries and innovations for both now and the future.
Here, we explore UCL’s real-world impact and the crucial role of community in providing belonging, safety and support for those in need…
Green Head Space: Rooting Mental Health Institutions in Place
In the heart of north London, the Green Head Space project is exploring how parks and green spaces can aid mental health recovery and wellbeing. Supported by UCL Grand Challenges funding, the initiative aims to embed health considerations into urban planning.
Dr Liza Griffin (UCL Bartlett Development Planning Unit) and Dr Gemma Moore (UCL Bartlett School of Environment Energy & Resources) are leading efforts to connect hospital spaces with nearby green areas via a visual policymaking tool - providing a sanctuary for those in distress.
“Dr Moore said: “We see this as a really key opportunity to influence debates on mental health and place. There’s lots of work that tells us about the importance of green space and mental health but the mechanisms whereby people actually get better or improve their wellbeing are poorly understood. So, we’d like to develop a project to help us understand the processes.”
The Green Head Space project not only highlights the importance of green spaces but also fosters collaboration between academics and practitioners at the North London NHS Foundation Trust to enhance mental health support.
Dr Griffin added: “I think it’s crucial for universities to invest in projects like these because it’s really important that the research that we do actually makes a difference and impact in the real world.”
Stressful Politics: Understanding the Link Between Politics and Mental Health
Political stressors – such as political uncertainty, change or news - can significantly impact mental health, a connection that UCL and the University of Liverpool are investigating.
Led by Professor Jonathan Rosier (UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience) and Dr Luca Bernardi (University of Liverpool), this interdisciplinary research examines how political events perceived as stressful affect mental wellbeing, particularly among young people.
“PhD candidate, Rowan Board (UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience), who is working on the project, said: “With the growing political polarisation, economic instability and climate change concerns, the future has never been more uncertain.”
However, the findings of the project aim to guide political parties in adjusting their messaging to mitigate these stressors, ultimately improving mental health outcomes.
Professor Rosier said: “We think the findings will be really important in explaining to political parties how they might adjust their messaging or target different groups in different ways in order to reduce the impact of political stressors on mental health and particularly for young people.”
Measuring Changes in Child Wellbeing: A Scoping and Piloting Exercise
Children aged four to seven get most of their physical activity and autonomy through play. However, there is currently no measure of wellbeing for this age group.
This project brings together psychologists, sociologists, educators, and built environment experts to develop and pilot ways of doing this. And the team, led by Dr Emily Midouhas and Professor Claire Cameron (both IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education & Society) are testing measures for a physically active play intervention in East London.
The new measure involves asking children about their emotions after playing outside, alongside questions about the play itself.
It is hoped that the innovative tool will capture the short-term effects of play on children's wellbeing, focusing on emotional, physical, social, and environmental aspects. This approach allows children to self-report their feelings, providing valuable insights for large-scale trials.
Professor Cameron said: “The wider debate about children’s health and wellbeing is in constant need of attention and we know that the links between physical health and mental health are very close.
““We hope that through the measures of wellbeing work we’ll have an opportunity constantly to bring to wider attention these issues about how important it is that children feel good about themselves when they’re active.”
Co-creating a Collaborative Framework for Mental Health in Construction
The construction industry faces a significant mental health crisis, with suicide rates 3.7 times the national average. To address this, Dr Jean Xu, Dr Simon Addyman (both Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction), and Dr Alexandra Pitman (UCL Psychiatry) are fostering a community that is focused on connected policies and collaborative practices.
Dr Addyman said: “In construction if we look at our stats around productivity and we look at our stats around wellbeing and suicide, it’s completely unacceptable, we should be doing so much more for that workforce.”
Dr Pitman added: “What’s particularly interesting about this group is that there are so many potential factors that could be driving suicide risk – the most obvious is substance abuse, job insecurity, but also loneliness comes up quite a lot as an explanation.
“Many people in the construction industry have to travel quite far for jobs and they may be housed temporarily, so you may find that every weekend you are travelling long distances home to your family but during the week you are living with a bunch of people you don’t know at all.”
As a starting point, the team organised a roundtable event in July 2024, that brought together professionals and researchers to discuss mental health support in the construction sector.
The event consisted of research presentations, panel discussions and roundtable workshops relating to mental health and wellbeing in construction. It resulted in a new framework for guided actions for systemic interventions.
Going forward, the initiative aims to create a network for knowledge exchange within the construction trade, to improve mental wellbeing in this high-pressure industry.
“Dr Xu highlighted the importance of the initiative, adding: “The government has been promoting upgrading the energy infrastructure for green energy as well as accelerating the development of affordable homes. All those strategies rely on the health and wellbeing of our construction workers.”
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In the UK alone, it’s estimated about one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point each year. UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing aims to become a beacon for improvements in mental health and wellbeing through transformative interdisciplinary research, practice and partnerships for prevention and early intervention.
To find out more about the projects taking place and UCL’s Mental Health & Wellbeing strategy, please visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/themes/mental-health-wellbeing/mental-health-awareness-week
Links
- Dr Liza Griffin's academic profile
- Dr Gemma Moore's academic profile
- Professor Jonathan Rosier's academic profile
- Dr Emily Midouhas's academic profile
- Professor Claire Cameron's academic profile
- Dr Jean Xu's academic profile
- Dr Simon Addyman's academic profile
- Dr Alexandra Pitman's academic profile
- UCL Bartlett Development Planning Unit
- UCL Bartlett School of Environment Energy & Resources
- UCL Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
- IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education & Society
- UCL Psychiatry
- UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
- UCL Brain Sciences
- UCL Grand Challenges
Images
- Credit: H10
Media contact
Poppy Tombs
E: p.tombs [at] ucl.ac.uk
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