Ethics in Psychiatric Research: A Resource Manual for Human Subjects Protection

Recent advances in mental illness treatment illustrate the tremendous potential for medical progress through research. As a result, it has become imperative for the clinical researcher to be aware of the complex ethical issues surrounding medical research-more than ever before. Written by recognized experts in the field, Ethics in Psychiatric Researchprovides a comprehensive overview of the ethical concerns and regulations covering medical research on human subjects. This practical manual presents the pros and cons of alternative approaches to consider for informed consent and other ethical issues related to clinical research into mental disorders. It examines methods for assessing and monitoring the quality of care during and after research. And it reviews how to effectively inform subjects of the risks and benefits of research. Ethics in Psychiatric Researchdiscusses surrogate decision making and advance directives issues that arise when working with cognitively impaired research subjects. Covering of the special issues pertinent to conducting research with children and adolescents and people who abuse substances, the book includes an excellent chapter on patient and family concerns about research. Providing much-needed information for clinical investigators on important ethical principles and regulations in psychiatric research, this annotated volume offers extensive references and appendixes that aid in further understanding.