Supporting Mental Health Research

Every Step Makes a Difference

 

The de Castella Run for Mental Health is more than just a running event—it's an opportunity to create lasting change. Our goal is to raise $100,000 to support groundbreaking mental health research at the Multidisciplinary Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc), one of Australia's leading mental health research centres. Based within Alfred Health (Bayside Health) and working in partnership with Monash University, MAPrc has been improving the lives of people living with mental illness through world-class research, education and clinical innovation for more than two decades.

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By participating in this event, making a donation or creating your own fundraising page, you'll be helping researchers answer important questions that have the potential to transform lives.

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2026 MAPrc Team Members

 

Our 2027 Run to Mend Minds Campaign Research Project

 

Funds raised through this year's event will support an important new research project investigating the relationship between childhood trauma and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions, many questions remain about how childhood trauma influences its development, symptoms and treatment. Increasing evidence suggests that trauma may affect the way ADHD presents and may contribute to differences in diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

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This project will explore:

• How childhood trauma influences the development and presentation of ADHD.

• Why ADHD may present differently in males and females.

• Whether trauma contributes to delayed or missed diagnosis, particularly in women and girls.

• How understanding these differences can lead to better, more personalised treatments.

 

The project will be undertaken through MAPrc in collaboration with HER Centre Australia, Australia's leading centre dedicated to women's mental health research and education.

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Why Your Support Matters

 

Mental illness affects almost every Australian family in some way.

Research is one of the most powerful ways to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment, but many important research projects rely heavily on community support.

Every dollar raised helps researchers:

• Recruit participants.

• Collect and analyse vital data.

• Develop better diagnostic tools.

• Improve treatment approaches.

• Translate research findings into better care for people living with mental illness.

Together, we can help ensure that future generations receive earlier diagnosis, more effective treatment and better mental health outcomes.

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Become a Fundraiser

 

One of the easiest and most powerful ways to make an impact is to create your own fundraising page. 

Invite your family, friends, work colleagues and social networks to support your run with a donation. Whether you raise $50 or $5,000, every contribution helps us move closer to our $100,000 goal.

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Many small donations quickly become something extraordinary when our community comes together.

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Help Us Change Lives

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• Every registration.

• Every km.

• Every donation.

 

Together, we can advance research that will improve the understanding of ADHD, childhood trauma and mental health for future generations.

 

Thank you for helping MAPrc and HER Centre Australia create a future where more people receive the right diagnosis, the right treatment and the opportunity to live healthier, happier lives.