Research by News hour, which was given access to the figures via the Open Government Act (Wob). The organization behind the event is the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), which in 2017 received a one-off grant of 350,000 euros from the Ministry of Health.
Information and research
The money was intended to organize a gala specifically for young people. The MHF would also provide information about depression at 500 schools and set up self-help groups for young people.
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The gala has been organized for five years to remove the taboo on depression and was broadcast on television in 2017 by the KRO-NCRV. Gala tickets cost around 50 euros in that year and calls were made to donate online.
Money to managers and director
The research now shows that the proceeds from the gala did not go to depression research, as promised, and youth organization Tweestrijd did not receive any money from the MHF either. Instead, the majority of the money was spent on ‘deployment of the director’ (89,000 euros) and the costs of some managers (around 55,000 euros). The rest of the money went to location rent, catering, external experts, speakers and hostesses, according to Nieuwsuur.
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What remained was spent on the development of teaching packages, but only 28 schools wanted them. The promised information and the buddy system did not get off the ground.
No money for research
The proceeds from the gala were 50,000 euros. The MHF informed Nieuwsuur that that money did not go to research into depression, but was used to pay production house Skyhigh TV for the television registration.
People who have shared their story for free at the Depression Gala are indignant. For example, Rianne Meijer, who previously spoke at the gala about her mother who died of depression, writes that she finds it ‘very sad’ that hardly any money has gone into depression research.
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Psychiatrists Bram Bakker and Esther van Fenema of the MHF state in a statement that the main purpose of the gala was not to raise money for the disease depression, but to generate attention for ‘people with their psychological vulnerabilities and talents’.
They further say that the school project failed because “the functioning of our director was very below expectations” and that part of the subsidy was repaid. After 2017, the gala no longer received a subsidy from the Ministry.
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