On 21st May over 30 volunteers, including patients, relatives, clinicians, researchers and others interested in supporting research into the causes and treatment of depression and bipolar disorder, will be running 69 miles from Carlisle to Newcastle as a relay. This is to raise money for Out of the Blues. Why?

Out of the Blues is a new charity set up to support research into mood disorders in Northern England.

Mood disorders are common:
• The lifetime risk of bipolar disorder is around 4%
• The lifetime risk of depression is around 35%

Mood disorders have a devastating impact on people’s lives, their families and society
• Depression is the leading illness cited in benefits claims
• Mood disorders are associated with a high risk of suicide – the leading cause of death of young adults
• Depression significantly increases the risk of suffering from physical illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, and if dying from these illnesses
• A person who develops bipolar disorder in their mid–late 20s effectively loses: 9 years of life; 12 years of normal health and 14 years of work activity

So you would expect loads of funding for research into the causes and treatment of mood disorders – right??.....WRONG
• While mental illness accounts for around 19% of the total burden of all disease (compared to 16% for cancer), it receives only 5% of UK research funding (compared to 20% for cancer)
• For every £1 of government funding, charities raise £2.75 for research into cancer. For every £1 of government funding, charities raise 0.3p for research into mental illness
•For every patient suffering from cancer, £1,571 is spent on research. For every patient suffering from mental illness, £9.75 is spent on research

Out of the Blues will help address this situation. £5000 is needed to enable registration with the Charity Commission. Please help in any way you can to enable us to take this first step towards better fighting mood disorders