Research, a critical mission of the Department of Mental Health, advances the treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery of adults with serious mental illness and children/adolescents with serious mental illness or severe emotional disturbance. Research is also one of the Department's statutory requirements in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 19, which specifically calls for DMH to "conduct research into the causes of serious mental illness."
The vitality and strength of research into serious mental illness in Massachusetts is an important and powerful tool in the treatment of these diseases. The research community carries the message of hope - hope for more effective treatments and hope for an eventual cure for mental illness. At any given time, approximately 100 research studies are taking place at DMH sites. The Department of Mental Health is committed to this vision and to putting research results into practice.
The goal of the Annual Research Centers of Excellence Conference is for DMH clients, their family members, DMH staff, and providers to learn more about the work these two centers are doing, and for these centers to learn how their research can best support DMH, and its mission and the people served by DMH.
