This page provides mental health consumers, their families, and mental health researchers with a forum to participate in mental health research studies. NAMI-NYC Metro does not endorse any study on this page. Information is provided purely as a public service.

All postings are subject to NAMI-NYC Metro’s approval. A group wishing to post on this page must submit their current IRB approval for the study, in addition to a written synopsis of your study answering the following:

• Brief description of the study
• Is study therapeutic (offering treatment) or non-therapeutic
• Is study funded, if yes, provide source of all funding; e.g., non-profit organization, governmental agency, or for-profit corporation including any ties to the pharmaceutical industry
• Who will be conducting the study; e.g. non-profit, government, hospital, or for-profit corporation, including any companies that run clinical trials
• Will subjects be paid, include payment schedule and amount
• Contact information

IRB approval and proposal can be submitted to Wendy Brennan at wbrennan@naminyc.org. Please include “Participation Studies request” and requestor’s name in your subject line.

Current Studies

Helping Adolescents stay Positive and Prevent Depression in their Youth: Conducted at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University

This is a prevention study targeting teens who are at risk for becoming depressed. Teenagers age 12-18 who are not themselves depressed, but who have a parent with depression, are invited to participate in our study to see if a form of talk-therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can prevent the onset of depression in these at-risk teens. Teens who meet criteria for participation in our study will be randomized to receive either 12 weeks of CBT for prevention of depression or 12 weeks of Study Skills. There is also a neuroimaging component at the beginning and end of the 12 weeks in the form of an MRI. Benefits of participation include a free depression screen and participants will be compensated between $75-$450.

For more information, see the attached materials. If you are interested in participating in the study or have any questions, please contact Dr. Rachel Jacobs at 212-543-5187 or jacobsr@childpsych.columbia.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Adelphi University Partner Study

This study examines the psychological effect of witnessing a romantic partner's psychotic episode. Participants will be interviewed about their lives and experiences. Having a romantic partner become psychotic can be a very painful and private experience. Interviews are conducted with empathy and care and kept strictly confidential. If you were dating someone within the last 10 years who was hospitalized for a psychotic episode, and you are over 18, you qualify for the study. It does not matter how seriously you were dating, if you broke up with the person or are still together, or how old you were at the time.

Interviews will be held on Adelphi University's campus, either in lower Manhattan or in Garden City, Long Island. If necessary, interviews will be held in a private room of a public library, or over the phone. Participants will not be paid. You identity will be kept completely confidential; your name will not appear on any typed or published documents.

The study is not therapeutic, though some people gain personal benefit from sharing their experiences. It is not funded and participants will not be paid. The research has been approved by Adelphi's Institutional Review Board.

For more information, call Margaret Klein at (734) 476-5169 or email her.

NAMI-NYC Metro does not endorse any study on this page. Information is provided purely as a public service.