Research Involving Individuals with Psychiatric Disorders

This talk addresses the ethical complexities and challenges of conducting research with individuals who have psychiatric conditions, emphasising their vulnerability due to underlying illness, cognitive impairments, and economic, social and other factors. 

Key ethical principles, including informed consent, beneficence, autonomy, and justice will be examined, with a focus on ensuring that psychiatric participants fully understand the research, and are protected from harm. 

Practical strategies for designing ethical research protocols, such as involving multidisciplinary teams and ensuring rigorous oversight by ethics committees, and the implications of the adoption of AI in research including within psychiatry will be considered.