Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has published a report marking ten years of research into the mental health needs of the Armed Forces community, highlighting advances in understanding, treatment development, and policy change between 2015 and 2025.
The report outlines progress made through FiMT’s Mental Health Research Programme, which has funded work across universities, charities, clinicians, and government partners. Notable developments include research into moral injury and Complex PTSD, which contributed to the creation of some of the UK’s first tailored treatments for those conditions.
The programme also supported the Call to Mind series, which assessed mental health systems across all four UK nations and influenced improvements in provision, including the establishment of Op COURAGE. FiMT additionally invested in early-stage trials of emerging therapies, such as MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD and motion-assisted therapy for veterans.
Although the 10-year programme has concluded, FiMT continues to fund health-focused research. Ongoing work includes a study with the University of Birmingham on the relationship between injury and accelerated ageing, and a project with Combat Stress and RAND Europe on the future role of the charity sector in veteran mental health support.
FiMT Chief Executive Michelle Alston said the programme’s impact had been possible only through widespread collaboration across military and civilian sectors, noting the contribution of thousands of veterans and families who took part in studies over the decade.
