Mental disorders, as a whole, are the leading cause of disability world-wide. In fact, mental health costs represent between 3 and 4% of the gross domestic product in the EU, and mental disorders are the leading cause of early retirement and disability pensions in our society.
In addition, mental diseases take a heavy toll that is not just financial, but also societal, in terms of their burden on individuals and their families. Schizophrenia has been described as the most devastating psychiatric disorder with a prevalence of 1% in the general population. It is estimated that more than 50.000 people in Madrid experience schizophrenia during their lifetime.
The AGES-CM consortium (Ambiente y Genes en Esquizofrenia – Grupos de Investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid) is formed by leading schizophrenia research groups from the Comunidad de Madrid (CM). These research groups from our Community lead the field of schizophrenia research in Spain and at the international level in many aspects of the disease. In fact the most prominent schizophrenia research groups in Madrid are part of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM) that has research on schizophrenia as its highest priority. CIBERSAM constitutes a fully functional ongoing national research program involving numerous schizophrenia research groups.
Supported by the Madrid Regional Government (S2022/BMD-7216 ( AGES 3-CM )) and European Union Structural Funds.