Project to study poor mental health in rural area

The University of Cumbria has been given funding for a three-and-a-half year research project

A £2.5m research project will explore the reasons behind poor mental health in a rural region.

The University of Cumbria will lead the three-and-a-half year project to look at mental health inequalities across the county.

It will study the challenges associated with mental health crises in rural and coastal areas, the specific needs of children and young people in Cumbria and the use of open spaces to support mental well-being.

The university will also investigate the gap in support for people with learning difficulties and autism who also experience mental health conditions.

Cumbria has some of the highest levels of suicide in the country, according to ONS figures.

The university said it would work with people and groups to understand how their lived experience and "real need" could be addressed.

The project is being funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research.

Alexis Quinn, an expert from The Restraint Reduction Network, which will work with the researchers, said she had direct experience of a system that "failed to understand" her needs.

"This initiative isn't just about research, it's about shifting the balance of power and deeply understanding the needs of those in underserved communities," she said.

Newcastle University and the University of Oxford will take part as "mentor universities".

Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said the research would be "an amazing opportunity" to tackle mental health inequalities.

"We need better research that includes those most in need of health and social care and preventive interventions," he added.