The author states that the mental health research program of the United
States is facing a threat to its survival as a force for public health. He
describes the antecedents of this crisis, which include the separation of
the National Institute of Mental Health from the National Institutes of
Health and other organizational changes, the public's disappointment that
overly great expectations were not met, and monetary inflation coupled with
budgetary cutbacks. He concludes that, because research cannot be separated
from the goals of service and training, the success of the total mental
health program in the United States depends on resolving the research
support crisis.Abstract Teaser