• Important information
• What is the purpose of the register?
• What will happen to me if I take part?
• What do I have to do?
• Who has reviewed the study?
• Contact for further information
  

You are invited to put your name on a register of people who are interested in participating in mental health research. Before you decide, it is important for you to understand why this is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others. Please ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.

The purpose of the register is to keep an up-to-date list of people who might be interested in participating in future research into mental health problems. The register will contain people’s personal contact details and any mental health problems that they may have had. We intend to contact people on the register to invite them to participate in future research studies as they come along. We also plan to write to people on the register every 6 months with details of our research findings.

Access to the information you provide will be limited to the Register team. Any information you give us will be treated with strict confidentiality and will be stored securely in electronic format. Other researchers may also be allowed to send you information about their research studies. Only credible researchers conducting high quality research studies that have gained ethical approval will be allowed access to the Register in order to contact you. Anyone who handles information from the Register will be aware that they are required to act according to the Data Protection Act (1998).

If you agree to take part, we will ask you to send to us the completed Consent Form and Contact Details Sheet. Once your name is on the Register we will send you a newsletter every year. We may also occasionally write to you asking if you would like to participate in future research studies. You are not under any obligation to take part in any of these studies. Your decision to take part will not affect any treatment offered to you or your family by your doctor. You are free to withdraw your details from the Register at any time.

Download the Information Sheet, Consent Form and Contact Details Sheet or contact us and request copies to be sent to you. Complete the Consent Form and your Contact Details and return them to us at the address shown. If you have any further questions about joining the Register please contact us.

The study has been reviewed by the Ethics Committee (MREC for Scotland, Committee A) and by senior members of staff within the Universities of Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

To speak to someone about joining the Register, or if you are a researcher and you are interested in using the research register for your own project, please email the Register team at smhrr@ed.ac.uk or phone 0131 537 6243.

If you would like the advice of an independent medical professional about the Scottish Mental Health Research Register, please see the Information Sheet for details of who to contact in your area.