Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced a $20 million grant to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to help pay for a long term study on mental health illness.

“This would look at generations of families from all regions of Ohio who are affected by mental health illness and substance use disorders,” said Governor Mike DeWine.

“The goal of the study is to better understand the root causes of these diseases and the resilience needed to face adversities.”

Governor DeWine said “the first study will bring together the network of Ohio universities and hospitals throughout the state and lend their expertise. The study will continue for a decade. The findings along the way will be utilized and quickly translated into solutions for Ohioans. The goal is preventing the onset and saving lives.”  

Dr. Luan Phan, Project Director and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine is going to conduct the study.

“I want to thank the members of the general assembly. We asked them to do this, and they did it. This was a bold move, and they did it, they didn’t flinch,” said Governor DeWine.

“They did it because it is an essential part of the commitment of Ohio to deal with mental health challenges.”

Also, President Ted Carter of The Ohio State University said “mental health is one of the most complex challenges in the world and our communities. As in other areas in the country, Ohio has seen a rise of mental health challenges, substance abuse, use, suicide, and drug overdose deaths in just the past decade.”

“At any given time, one of every five Ohioans struggles with these types of issues and all our communities are affected. There is nobody that is not affected. Somebody that you know in your family, community or neighborhood is affected by this.”

He disclosed that “the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience Research Study, SOAR, is going to help change the face of Ohio mental health care.”

“It is made possible by the general support of the state of Ohio. The research investment demonstrates Ohio’s commitment to mobilizing expertise across the state to improve the lives of some of our most vulnerable residents.’

“This study is another example of how, under Governor DeWine’s leadership, Ohio is positioning itself as a national leader in mental health research and innovation,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of OhioMHAS. “The causes of these diseases remain largely a mystery to clinical experts and the public. The SOAR Study has the potential to help future generations better understand risk factors, effective mitigation strategies, and techniques to build resiliency — in short, the study has the potential to curb disease and save lives.” 

The SOAR Study has two parallel but connected projects: 

• Focusing on breadth, the SOAR Wellness Discovery Survey will engage as many as 15,000 people across all 88 Ohio counties. Researchers want to uncover how strengths and skills may be related to overcoming adversity. Those strengths will inform researchers about which factors to focus on to develop new treatments. This portion is underway with more than 300,000 postcards mailed out to residents statewide.
  
• Focusing on depth, the SOAR Brain Health Study will comprehensively study as many as 3,600 Ohioans in family groups to examine the biological, psychological, and social factors that help explain that relationship, such as who does well with adversity, who does not, and why. Those discoveries will help researchers develop personalized treatments.

“This important SOAR Study builds on our long-standing academic health mission, and we are proud to champion this vital research to help all Ohioans,” said John J. Warner, MD, chief executive officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president at Ohio State.

“Mental health care is health care, and this study will help us inform prevention and treatment strategies to advance patient-centered care and influence the way we train our future care providers.”

The SOAR Study will engage a multidisciplinary team of experts from Bowling Green State University, Central State University, Kent State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Case Western/University Hospital-Cleveland, Ohio University, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Toledo and Wright State University.

“SOAR is our effort to do for addiction, mental illness and mental health, what the Framingham Heart Study researchers did for heart disease and heart health,” said SOAR Study principal investigator K. Luan Phan, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State. 

Launched in 1948, the multigenerational heart study has enrolled more than 15,000 study participants over 75 years, resulting in major life-saving advancements about heart disease risk factors. 

“Our approach with the SOAR Study will allow us to identify the factors that can be modified to reduce risk and build resilience,” said Phan, who holds the Jeffrey Schottenstein Endowed Chair of Psychiatry and Resilience.

“We won’t be able to ‘bend the curve’ on the growing number of deaths of despair such as those from addiction and suicide until we go upstream to better understand their etiology. SOAR is the first-in the nation statewide, multi-generational comprehensive study that will offer a new roadmap for developing better treatments and cures that will improve and save lives.”

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