Home  |  Contact  |  Career Opportunities  |  Frequently Asked Questions  |  Search  |  Text size:  Decrease font  Increase font
Board Member Login  |  
 
Support Our Work

Benefits of Research Study Participation

In an effort to better understand and improve treatment for people with mental illness, the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research conducts ongoing studies and medication trials.

Research is essential to increasing our understanding of mental disorders and ensuring continuous improvements in patient care. The research we do depends on volunteers from our community, who become important partners in our research projects.

What are the benefits to participating in a research study?

The motivation to participate in a study (generally know as a 'clinical trial') varies from person to person.

For example, some people are keen to receive the latest promising treatment as soon as possible.

Some research study participants really enjoy the fact that their health is so closely monitored by health professionals while they are involved in the study.

Others may get involved simply because they are curious and interested in helping improve approaches to mental health care. This is often the case with healthy participants who volunteer for a study because they have a friend, colleague or family member who is living with a mental health issue.

No matter what your motivation, we sincerely appreciate and value your involvement in mental health research as an important component in the development of treatments that will improve the quality of life for residents in communities across Eastern Ontario.

Please note that participants will be evaluated before being included in a clinical trial to be sure they are eligible for that particular study. At this time the goals of the study and the expected outcome will also be explained.

Participation in mental health research is always voluntary and we encourage anyone considering participating in one of our current research trials and opportunities to discuss the study with their physician before getting involved.

If you are experiencing a psychiatric illness or you are a healthy individual who is interested in participating in a research study, please contact the research coordinator via email at imhr@rohcg.on.ca.

Please note that all research trials and opportunities have been approved by the ROMHC Ethics Board.

Back to top

Why is it important for people to participate in the research process?

The process of getting a new drug to market can be very long but having human subjects participate is crucial not only before a drug hits the market but also sometimes even after it has been on the market for awhile.

This is because some clinical trials are not studying new products or approaches but instead collecting more information about a particular drug's effect or looking at how existing treatments can be used to improve other mental health conditions other than the one for which it was originally created.

The information from these studies is then published or presented at conferences to give health professionals more knowledge and the tools to help their patients.

The treatment being studied may be a drug but it could also be a type of therapy such as cognitive behavior therapy.

Back to top

How does a new drug get on the market?

In order to release a new drug or a new treatment for mental illness on the market, it's necessary to study it under very strict conditions that follow what's known as a 'protocol'.

The aim is to carefully study the new treatment in the laboratory before preparing it for human use so researchers will have a good idea of how the treatment will affect the body.

However, before its release, the new drug must undergo different phases of study and get approval from the authorities (such as Health Canada) that are in place to protect human participants and make sure the protocol is scientifically sound before giving permission to use this new treatment.

First the treatment must be tested on a small group of healthy volunteers and then on a small group of people suffering from the condition for which the drug has been created to treat. Only then will it be offered to a much larger group of people before final release.

Back to top