Research participant information and consent formResearcher: Dr April Hargreaves Email: april.hargreaves@ncirl.ie Should you have any queries regarding the study, or your participation in the study, please contact the researcher above who will be happy to answer your questions.Section AYou are being asked to participate in a research study. Researchers at National College of Ireland (NCI) are studying the nature of people’s thoughts about mental health in order to better understand the general public’s understanding and thinking of such matters. In order to decide whether or not you want to be a part of this research study, you should understand enough about its risks and benefits to make an informed judgment. This process is known as informed consent. This consent form gives detailed information about the research study. Once you understand the study, you will be asked to tick the consent box at the end of this form if you wish to participate.Section BI. NATURE AND DURATION OF PARTICIPATION:Mental health is an important aspect of one’s overall well-being. Those diagnosed with mental health difficulties are not only impacted by mental health services, but also by the understanding of the people around them. There is some evidence that particular mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, are not fully understood by the general public, but as yet it is unclear where exactly the misunderstandings lie. As such, we are conducting a study in which we ask people their thoughts on such disorders.We would like to invite you to be involved in our study. This would mean answering a 10 minute questionnaire. At the end of the study we would collate the information gathered from all participants and analyze it for patterns of response. The information you provide is completely anonymous. It is impossible to trace your answers back to you once you have submitted them to the study. As such we would ask that you be as honest as possible in order to obtain a true reflection of the Irish public’s understanding of mental health.II. POTENTIAL RISKS AND BENEFITS:Due to the content of the questionnaire and the general topic of mental health, it is possible that you may become distressed in answering the questions, particularly if they resonate with you personally. Should this happen, you have the right to 1) terminate your participation in the study, and 2) skip any questions that you would prefer not to answer or think about. A debriefing form will also be provided at the end of the questionnaire detailing the contact details of the researcher and other organizations you may wish to contact for further information on mental health.While there will be no direct benefit from participation, studies like this can make an important contribution to our understanding of mental health issues. As such, the findings from this study may be presented at national and international conferences and may be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. However no individual participant will be identified in any publication or presentation. Individuals will not be offered any monetary or other rewards for their participation.III. PARTICIPANT RIGHTS:Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. All information gathered from you will be non-identifiable (we do not gather data on names, addresses, birth-dates). All data gathered will be stored by the researcher in a password protected file and kept, as per NCI policy, for a period of five years before being destroyed. You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time up until the point of submission of answers, after which it is not possible to identify and retrieve your personal response. There will be no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled if you choose not to participate. In addition, your participation in the study may be terminated by the investigator without your consent.Section C AGREEMENT TO CONSENTThe research project has been explained to me. I have had the opportunity to ask questions concerning any and all aspects of the project and any procedures involved. I am aware that participation is voluntary. I am also aware that my responses cannot be traced back to me personally.