Helping Improve the Lives of People Who Live With a Mental Illness or Disorder

The study of the human mind and the myriad associated maladies that can arise from it is considered by many to be the last great frontier of modern medicine. The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA is a world-renowned multidisciplinary research institute that is blazing a trail at the forefront of that frontier. 

Mental illness is so common in the U.S. that it affects more than one in five adults, approximately 57.8 million people, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Chances are, if you aren’t affected yourself, someone in your family is. And that is exactly how Vicky Goodman came to found Friends of the Semel Institute. Approximately 30 years ago, her daughter, then an Ivy League undergraduate, was diagnosed as bipolar. She was treated at UCLA, and ultimately went on to earn her PhD in psychology, get married, and lead a successful life. 

Having successfully traversed the daunting road necessary to navigate her daughter’s mental illness, not least of which was battling the societal stigma, Goodman wanted to give back. “If we could help other families navigate this challenging process and not be completely blindsided, then that would be making a difference.” And so Friends of the Semel Institute was born. 

The organization realizes Goodman’s ambition of giving back in many significant ways. The free “Open Mind Community Lecture and Film Series” brings together thought leaders in science and culture for programs about mental health issues, both virtually and in person. The Friends of Semel Research Scholar Program awards grants of $25,000 per year to early career investigators for their research in neuroscience and human behavior, leading to new treatments and research breakthroughs. Executive Director Wendy Kelman notes that “the grants keep the best and brightest in a field that often loses them for lack of grant funding, crucial to their continued success.” Like Goodman, Kelman knows first-hand the devastating effects mental illness can cause: her own sister, diagnosed as bipolar, ultimately took her own life. 

In response to the teen mental health crisis, The Friends founded a Teen Advisory Council, a diverse group of students from high schools throughout the Los Angeles area, dedicated to mental health education, reducing stigma, and advocating for the mental health of high school students. Their efforts culminate in a free, public Gen Z Wellness Summit.

Another initiative to address teen mental health is the Open Mind Film Festival for high school students that invites teens from throughout the U.S. to submit short original films related to mental health. In 2024, over 240 films were submitted, the top 10 films were screened at the festival and cash prizes were awarded. 

Since its founding five decades ago, neuroscientists and clinicians at the Semel Institute have been working diligently to identify the causes and consequences of disorders of the mind and brain. They have had great success, but there is so much more work to be done to help those whose lives are still greatly impacted.