According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI), 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with a mental illness. Treatments are available, but they don’t work for everyone. Mental health clinical research seeks to advance our understanding of mental illness and aid in the development of new treatments that can help those who need it most.
What exactly is mental health?
The term “mental health” refers to our emotional, cognitive, and social wellbeing. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, behave, and engage with others. According to the World Health Organization, a person with optimal mental health has the ability to work productively, realize their potential, cope with everyday stresses, and contribute to their communities.
Mental health can be negatively affected by a number of different factors, including changes in brain chemistry, traumatic experiences, genetics, and drug or alcohol abuse. Mental health disorders, or mental illness, can impact a person’s thoughts, feelings, mood, behavior, and even their ability to participate in everyday activities. Some common mental health disorders include:
- Major depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Phobias
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
These mental health disorders vary in degree of severity, from mild to severe, and they can affect people of all ages, all races, all religions, and all income levels. Although there is no cure for these mental health disorders, they are all treatable. Between 70% and 90% of individuals suffering from mental illnesses are able to manage their symptoms with some combination of medication, psychotherapy, and other treatments. But what about the other 10% to 30%?
Mental health clinical research plays a crucial role in answering this question.
What is mental health clinical research?
Clinical research refers to the study of health and illness in people. There are different types of clinical research, including treatment research, prevention research, diagnostic research, screening research, and others.
Mental health clinical research involves the study of mental health disorders in particular. Although we have learned a lot about the brain in recent decades and developed a number of effective treatments for mental health disorders, there is still so much we don’t know. For example, we don’t know exactly what triggers mental illness in one person but not in another, why one drug works and another doesn’t, or why one drug works for one person but not for another.
Research is our best hope for finding answers to these questions and others so we can find better ways to treat, diagnose, and even prevent mental illness.
Mental health clinical trials play an important role in the advancement of mental health treatment. These trials involve the participation of people with mental illnesses as well as healthy volunteers. Clinical research trials are typically conducted in four phases:
- Phase I – A small group receives an experimental drug or treatment to evaluate safety
- Phase II – A larger group receives the experimental drug or treatment to further evaluate safety and effectiveness
- Phase III – A number of large groups receive the experimental drug or treatment to confirm effectiveness and monitor side effects
- Phase IV – Post-FDA-approval, studies continue in order to learn more about the treatment
Participation in clinical trials is strictly voluntary.
Benefits of mental health clinical research
Although there are some risks associated with clinical trials, researchers are committed to ensuring the safety of every participant. Before the trial begins, the clinical research team is required by law to inform participants of the risks and possible side effects as well as what to expect from the trial.
All healthcare professionals involved in clinical research have patient safety at the very top of their list of priorities. Patients are screened ahead of time in order to ensure that they are a good fit for the study, and the participants who opt in, do so because the potential benefits far outweigh the potential risks. The benefits of participating in mental health clinical research trials include:
- Access to cutting-edge treatments not available elsewhere
- Research-related care or medicine at no cost
- Care and support by a team of healthcare professionals who specialize in your condition
- Greater understanding about your condition and the opportunity to take an active role in your health and wellbeing
- The satisfaction of contributing to medical research and making a difference in the lives of others
- Compensation for your time and commitment (in some cases)
Read more information on the benefits, risks, and safety of clinical research trials
Clinical research trials in San Diego at Synergy Research Centers
At Synergy Research Centers in San Diego, we have been conducting clinical research trials for almost 20 years, and we’re committed to doing our part to advancing medical science while keeping patients safe. We’re currently enrolling for a number of different mental health clinical research studies, including some for clinical research for bipolar disorder, clinical trials for major depression, schizophrenia clinical trials, and others. If you’re interested in participating in one of our research trials or just want to learn more, please contact us at 888-539-0282 today.