Research into mental illness is terribly underfunded so I want to do a little bit to help.

Someone I know very well has had a serious mental illness for almost 20 years. During this time he has been prescribed all available types of the sort medication he must take to enable him to function. One caused a build-up of chemicals which became dangerous so had to be discontinued and didn’t really make him fully well anyway. Another caused an immediate life threatening decrease in blood pressure so was quickly abandoned. Another had such major side effects that he couldn’t write his name. The fourth, which he has now been taking for many years, causes major weight gain, which he has fought and substantially overcome, and debilitating drowsiness in the mornings. Not a great option but there isn't an alternative. 

Unbelievably, he is one of the lucky ones, many people with his condition fail to find any medication which works at all. If we could only understand these illnesses better, in the same way that we now understand most physical illnesses, much more and better medication could be produced. This is why we urgently need more research.  

At least 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives and some estimates are as high as 1 in 2. In the under 65s almost as many life years are lost as a result of mental illness as are lost due to all physical illnesses put together. But, despite the huge impact of mental ill health on individuals and the economy, mental health research receives only a fraction of the funding that supports research into other long-term chronic diseases.

So as I'm about to attempt a stupid challenge - carrying a 16kg backpack 131 km through the Scottish Highlands in 4.5 days,  I decided to raise some money for MHRUK: Mental Health Research UK. 

MHRUK is a relatively small charity so all donations make a big difference. 

MHRUK is one of the few charities in the UK which pledges to give at least 95% of all donations to its core purpose. So if you sponsor me, nearly every penny you give is helping to make a difference in the long-term as opposed to administration or marketing.