In 2017, a collaborative team of depression researchers and people with lived experience released 11 questions to help move depression research forward.

How people with depression helped move research forward in Alberta, Canada

As I mentioned in my earlier article, “People With Depression Help Move Research Forward”,(2018)  depressed people want to have their voices heard in research. They want to be in an equal partnership with researchers, and they want researchers to come up with new depression treatments.

In Alberta, Canada, the Alberta Strategy for Patient Orientated Research Unit (SPOR) and CDRIN asked Albertans what they felt were priorities for depression research. Over six months, SPOR identified 900 questions the public wanted answered. From those, the committee trimmed it down to 11 questions. These 11 questions are presented below.

What is amazing is that people are willing to go into very personal details when it comes to sharing experiences, and what they want changed in treatment and research. Hopefully, researchers will use this list as a template of areas to be researched.

Depression Research Priorities:

1. Which treatment therapy or method is more successful for long-term remission or recovery?
2. What are the long-term physical implications of pharmaco-therapy for treating depression?
3. For various treatment options (eg. psychotherapy, individual vs group therapy, and psychosocial support), what are the advantages in terms of cost, effectiveness, relapse, prevention, and safety?
4. What are the prevention strategies/tactics for reducing self-harm and suicide in children, youths, adults with depression?
5. What changes to the health care system will increase access to psychological services?
6. What changes in the health care system will result in shortened waiting times for depression services?
7. Can diet or exercise affect the development of depression?
8. What are the functional, social, intellectual, physical, and psychological problems experienced by children and teens living with immediate family members who have depression?
9. What interventions are effective in preventing and treating workplace depression and reducing stigma associated with depression in the workplace?
10. Are there structural or functional changes in the brain due to antidepressant therapy during brain development?
11. What is the role of family in the treatment and trajectory of depression?

(From the Alberta Depression Research Priority Setting Project, 2017, August 10) Determined by Albertans with Lived Experience

Your feedback:

What do you think about these questions?

Are these questions ones you are interested in?

Can you suggest any other questions?

I’d love to hear from you!

Visit me on Twitter  @tereziafarkas

Visit my website http://www.tereziafarkas.com

BUY NOW