Advancing Mental Health Interventions for Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled “Advancing Research on Empirically-Supported Interventions for Older Adults Living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)” under RFA-MH-27-180. This initiative addresses the critical need for sustainable and effective mental health services for individuals aged 50 and older suffering from conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and treatment-refractory depression.
Scope
The primary objective is to foster research that informs the optimization, delivery, and effectiveness of empirically-supported practices. NIMH is specifically looking for applications that focus on practice-relevant questions within settings such as primary care, geriatric specialty clinics, assisted living, and long-term care facilities. Research has shown that older adults with SMI experience a reduced life expectancy of 11 to 30 years compared to the general population, primarily due to fragmented care and high rates of comorbid chronic health conditions (Bartels et al., 2018). Projects should aim to bridge this gap through innovative service interventions and the evaluation of health system policies.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and various government entities. Foreign organizations and foreign components of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply, though specific restrictions regarding international subawards may apply. Applicants are encouraged to propose hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial designs to ensure that findings are applicable to real-world clinical settings.
Partnership and Requirements
Successful proposals will likely involve multidisciplinary teams that can address both psychiatric and medical comorbidities. Key requirements include:
- Focus on individuals aged 50 and older with SMI.
- Utilization of settings where older adults are naturally identified for care.
- Emphasis on mutable factors that impact mental health care access and quality.
- Integration of technology or peer support to extend the reach of specialty providers.
Deadlines: The application due date is October 15, 2026. Letters of intent are requested by September 15, 2026.
Citation: Bartels, S. J., DiMilia, P. R., Fortuna, K. L., & Naslund, J. A. (2018). Integrated Care for Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Medical Comorbidity: Evidence-based Models and Future Research Directions. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 41(1), 153–164.
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