Participate in Research: FAQs
Why should I participate in research?
- People participate in research for many reasons, ranging from the desire to help others, to wanting to take part in advancing science, to simply wanting to learn about the topic being researched!
- There is always a need to find more answers. You will be helping to answer questions about how to treat and prevent conditions and improve people’s lives. Did you know that every medication, surgical procedure, and medical device doctors now use was made possible by research participants?
- Know that you will be contributing to people’s lives by helping scientists learn more about mental health conditions. Just think, you may be helping in developing a treatment that may be used in future generations – or even our own!
What do I get out of it?
- Participating in research will give you an opportunity to help others. Just think, you may be helping in developing new treatments, or preventing conditions from happening in the first place!
- If the study involves treatment, you will get expert care, and potentially, access to new procedures, devices, or drugs before they are widely available.
- Researchers understand that you are busy and know that your time is valuable; many studies will thank participants with some form of compensation, such as money or gift cards.
- If that’s still not enough for an incentive, know that you will get a unique learning experience about yourself and/or about what is being researched. Sometimes just being asked certain questions can help you think about your mental health in a new way.
What will I have to do?
- It depends on the study, each one is different!
- Some research studies, called Observational Studies, focus on how various disorders work – like what causes them and how they affect people. In these types of studies, you may be asked to:
- Answer interview questions
- Fill out questionnaires/surveys
- Take psychological tests
- Share opinions in a focus group
- Do tasks or games
- Give a saliva or blood sample for DNA analysis
- Sleep in a laboratory
- Keep a journal
- MRI or PET scans
- Some research studies, called Observational Studies, focus on how various disorders work – like what causes them and how they affect people. In these types of studies, you may be asked to:
- Other research studies, sometimes called Clinical Trials, focus on the treatment of various disorders. In these types of studies, you may be asked to:
- Do a physical activity
- Take a medication
- Track symptoms
- Participate in talk therapy
- Answer interview questions
- Do mind-body exercise
Is it safe?
- Participants’ safety is taken very seriously. Each study is reviewed by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that it is ethical, safe, well-designed, and legal.
- Each study has eligibility criteria to protect the safety of the participants. Therefore, not every study is for every person. But don’t worry, if one study isn’t a good fit for you, there may be others that are!
- You can talk with a research staff member about the risks and benefits of participating, if any. They will give you an informed consent form that has all the information about the study, and then ask you to sign it to show you understand and want to be in the study. (But even after you sign it, you can withdraw from the study at any time!)
- Researchers take privacy very seriously and take steps to protect confidentiality. Paperwork and records are locked and protected, and information collected during a study is often de-identified. That way, researchers will not know whose study information they are using when looking through their information and answering research questions.
How long does it take?
- It depends on the study (there is no study that is too short or too long!)
- If it’s filling out a survey or giving a blood or saliva sample, it will take about a few minutes.
- If it’s participating in an interview, taking a psychological test, or doing some tasks or games, it may take an hour or more.
- Some may take a few weeks or months, such as when using a treatment (like medicine or talk therapy) or engaging in certain behaviors (like physical activity or getting regular sleep).
- Others take years, such as ones that require keeping track of a condition over time with surveys or regular interviews or check-ups.
- You can decide if it fits in your schedule.
Can I quit once I’ve started?
- Absolutely! You can change your mind and stop participating at any point in the study.
Alright, I want to participate! Now what?
- Contact the University of Michigan Mental Health Research Line to find out what studies may be right for you.
- Phone: (734) 232-0255
- Email: psych-recruitment@med.umich.edu
- Visit UMClinicalStudies.org to search for mental health and other health studies, and to learn more about participating in research.
- New studies open up throughout the year, so if you can’t find one that’s a good fit for you now, make sure to check back!
- And remember, researchers are seeking participants who are living with a mental health condition like depression or bipolar, as well as those who are not. You can find one that’s right for you!
