GALENOS approach to triangulating evidence (GATE): transforming the landscape of psychiatric research

There is an urgent need for better evidence-based interventions in mental health. High-quality randomised controlled trials in humans are often lacking, especially when dealing with complex situations or novel therapeutic targets. Other potentially useful data may be available, such as from early-phase trials, observational or mechanistic studies or animal experiments. Triangulation offers an opportunity to consider a wider variety of evidence together to prioritise future research directions, and ultimately to inform clinical decisions. Here we describe GATE (the GALENOS Approach to Triangulating Evidence). This is the methodology of triangulation, co-produced with people with lived experience, and applied as an integral part of the GALENOS project (Global Alliance for Living Evidence on aNxiety, depressiOn and pSychosis; https://www.galenos.org.uk/). We outline the considerations of triangulation in psychiatry and our experience to date in assessing animal and human data together, using triangulation to prioritise future research directions. With GATE at its core, GALENOS not only enables novel insights to emerge, but points us towards a future of collaborative research better equipped to examine the most pressing questions in mental health.