Women Scientists Break Ground in Mental Health and Happiness

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - A group of five women scientists from Australia and New Zealand has been awarded a prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO fellowship, marking a significant step forward in their groundbreaking research into the treatment of mental health and wellbeing.

Dr. Brittany Mitchell, Dr. Mengyu Li, and three other researchers will receive funding for their ongoing projects, as well as mentorship and collaboration opportunities. Their work aims to revolutionize societal approaches to healthcare, mental wellbeing, and sustainability.

Renewing focus on mental health

In Australia, a growing number of women are turning to science to tackle the complexities surrounding depression. Dr. Mitchell's research at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland will explore the genetics of depression in the hope of transforming treatment strategies. Her journey into this area is deeply personal as she draws from her own mental health challenges.

According to Dr. Mitchell, the treatment of depression remains woefully inadequate among current approaches. Despite advances made, only one third of patients respond positively to treatment, with many experiencing only a short-lived relief before symptoms resurface.

A global crisis

The growing rate of depression worldwide affects most individuals across their lifespan, with disproportionately high rates recorded for young women and members from marginalized cultural and social groups.

Dr. Mitchell says tackling the complexity of depression is key to developing personalized care models that cater to various factors influencing mood management - biological, psychological, and social pressures that all come together in a singularly crippling entity.

With L'Oréal-UNESCO funding, Dr. Li at Sydney University will further research on environmental links with humanity's wellbeing through 'degrowth'-a holistic perspective focusing sustainability.

Her exploration of human consumption's ecological impacts may shed light into sustainable solutions and the importance to reform societal values from materialism to the pursuit of collective life experiences. By challenging traditional measures of success based heavily in money, Dr. Li aims at reinvigorating the scientific notion of what constitutes 'progress.'