It means that you will agree to contribute your information for research purposes. There are many aspects to being a research participant. We have summarized the most important ones below. If you have more questions, you can contact us at depression-bipolar-study@23andme.com.

What will I be asked to do?

You will be asked to:

Enroll and consent to our depression and bipolar study through this website.

to our depression and bipolar study through this website. Respond to a short questionnaire to determine your eligibility to participate. This step is very important to ensure the integrity of the study.

to determine your eligibility to participate. This step is very important to ensure the integrity of the study. Provide a DNA sample (from your saliva) for analysis and send it back to 23andMe. It is very important to send back your saliva sample within 30 days of receiving your saliva collection kit to secure your spot in the study. Since our goal is to accelerate critical health research, we cannot guarantee your enrollment in the study if you do not send your kit back within 30 days of receipt.

(from your saliva) for analysis and send it back to 23andMe. It is very important to send back your saliva sample within 30 days of receiving your saliva collection kit to secure your spot in the study. Since our goal is to accelerate critical health research, we cannot guarantee your enrollment in the study if you do not send your kit back within 30 days of receipt. Allow 23andMe to keep this saliva sample stored in our laboratory by consenting to biobanking.

in our laboratory by consenting to biobanking. Complete online monthly study sessions which include online surveys and cognitive tests over the course of nine months. After you complete your first session, we will send you notifications each month when your next monthly study session is ready. You will have 30 days to complete each session. We will send reminders if you have not finished all the available steps. Immediately after enrolling, your first study session will be available for you to complete. It will include a survey with questions on your symptoms, recent mood, lifestyle, childhood experiences and treatments, as well as your first cognitive test. This session should take you about 15 minutes to complete. One month after finishing the first study session, Study Session 2 will be available for you to complete and will include a short survey about your recent mood and medications, as well as a new cognitive test. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Study Session 3 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Session 2, and a new cognitive test. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Study Session 4 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Study Sessions 2 and 3, and a new cognitive test. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Study Session 5 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Study Sessions 2-4, and a new cognitive test. This session should take you about eight minutes to complete. Study Session 6 will include two surveys. One is about any risky or impulsive behaviors and another about any traumatic life experiences. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Study Session 7 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Study Sessions 2-5, and the same cognitive test as Study Session 2. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Study Session 8 will include two surveys. One about your behavior and another about your family and social support. This session should take about 10 minutes to complete. Session 9 (your last session) will include a short survey about your recent mood and medications, and repeat three of the cognitive tests you had taken previously. This session should take about 25 minutes to complete.

which include online surveys and cognitive tests over the course of nine months. After you complete your first session, we will send you notifications each month when your next monthly study session is ready. You will have 30 days to complete each session. We will send reminders if you have not finished all the available steps.

What if I no longer want to participate in this research?

You can withdraw from research at any time by changing your consent status in your account settings. Email us at depression-bipolar-study@23andme.com and we can help you.

How will 23andMe use my data?

When you participate in this study, 23andMe will use your information in two key ways: 1) in order to provide you services as a customer of 23andMe and 2) for research purposes.

We use your data to operate, provide, analyze and improve our services. These activities may include, among other things, using your information to:

Open your account, enable purchases and process payments, communicate with you, and implement your requests (e.g., referrals).

Process and deliver your genetic testing results.

Offer new products or services to you, including through emails, promotions or contests.

In order to enroll in our depression and bipolar study, you will need to agree to several consent documents which enable us to use and share your data in the following ways:

Data summaries:

When you agree to the general 23andMe Research Consent Document, you are giving consent for 23andMe to include your genetic and self-reported information in data summaries we share with qualified third party researchers.

23andMe may share your de-identified data (so you cannot be easily identified), which is bundled with data from other research participants, with qualified research partners for this study and potentially for other studies in the future. This research could cover many different topics studied by 23andMe and our research collaborators.

Non-summarized, individual-level data:

When you agree to the depression and bipolar study consent document, you will consent to share individual, non-aggregated data with our qualified third party researchers. This means we can share your individual genetic and self-reported data with third party researchers without bundling it. The information we share about you with our research collaborators will be stripped of identifying components (name, email, address, user ID and password). These researchers will only be able to use your data to study depression, bipolar disorder and related conditions.

We encourage you to read these consent documents carefully. For your records, you can print each of the consent documents or review them at any time by going to your account settings. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at depression-bipolar-study@23andme.com.

What are the emotional risks of being a research participant?

The study surveys cover a wide range of topics, including questions about your lifestyle, recent mood, risky behavior, symptoms, medications and traumatic childhood experiences. Some topics may be highly personal and difficult to discuss, and answering some of the survey questions may cause emotional discomfort. Please note that participation in this research study is completely voluntary. As a research participant, you may stop answering surveys at any point or decline to answer any questions you do not wish to answer.

When scientific papers are published on sensitive subjects like depression and bipolar, we cannot always anticipate the findings or how they will be interpreted by a broader audience. There is always a risk that scientific findings can be complex and misunderstood. It's possible these findings may reinforce existing negative stereotypes or perceptions about depression or bipolar, or give rise to new ones. We are informing you of this possibility because when studies on this data are published, they might change the way you or groups you belong to are seen by the general public.

If you are not already a 23andMe customer, you may learn information about yourself that you do not anticipate (e.g., that you are not related to a family member in the way you thought, or surprising facts related to your ancestry). Please refer to our Terms of Service for more details about the risks of being genotyped.

What are the privacy risks of being a research participant?

Being a research participant means that 23andMe will store your genetic information, cognitive test results and survey answers (this includes responses to questions or surveys you might feel are sensitive in nature), and securely transfer them to qualified research partners. If a security breach occurs, your data could be leaked. Please refer to How do you protect the confidentiality of my data? for more information about this risk.

What are the advantages of being a research participant?

This is a new opportunity to participate in depression and bipolar genetics research.

As a research participant, you:

Could play a role in helping researchers understand the relationship between depression and bipolar, and genetics.

Will be kept informed of the discovery process as research advances.

Will have the option to learn more about your genetic health and ancestry.

What do I need to do to participate?

Start the enrollment process by answering questions to determine your eligibility and providing consent through this website. If you haven't already, provide a saliva sample and send it back in the pre-paid postage box. If you don't believe you will be able to complete this step within 30 days, we recommend that you do not participate in this study. Complete monthly online study sessions which include surveys and cognitive tests over the course of nine months. After you complete your first session, we will send you notifications each month when your next monthly study session is ready. You will have 30 days to complete each session. We will send reminders if you haven't finished all the available steps.

Immediately after enrolling, your first study session will be available for you to complete. It will include a survey with questions on your symptoms, recent mood, lifestyle, childhood experiences, and treatments as well as your first cognitive test. This session should take you about 15 minutes to complete.

One month after finishing the first study session, Study Session 2 will be available for you to complete and will include a short survey about your recent mood and medications as well as a new cognitive test. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete.

Study Session 3 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Session 2 and a new cognitive test. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete.

Study Session 4 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Study Sessions 2 and 3 and a new cognitive test. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete.

Study Session 5 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Study Sessions 2-4 and a new cognitive test. This session should take you about eight minutes to complete.

Study Session 6 will include two surveys. One is about any risky or impulsive behaviors and another about any traumatic life experiences. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete.

Study Session 7 will include the same short survey about your recent mood and medications as Sessions 2-5 and the same cognitive test as Study Session 2. This session should take you about 10 minutes to complete.

Study Session 8 will include two surveys. One about your behavior and another about your family and social support. This session should take about 10 minutes to complete.

Session 9 - your last session - will include a short survey about your recent mood and medications and repeat three of the cognitive tests you had taken previously. This session should take about 25 minutes to complete.

Do the 23andMe Terms of Service apply to participants in the depression and bipolar study?

If you agree to participate in the depression and bipolar study, your participation includes the use of a 23andMe DNA kit and optional access to the 23andMe Service at no cost. As part of joining this study you will be required to agree to the 23andMe Terms of Service document.

We want to make sure you understand that while participating in the study activities described below, the following sections of the Terms of Service will not apply to the extent they prevent you from pursuing a claim if you suffer a research-related injury:

Section 14 ("Indemnity")

Section 23 ("Disclaimer of Warranties"), Subsections (1), (3), (4), and (5)

Section 24 ("Limitation of Liability")

Section 28(d) ("Term for cause of action")

Study activities include:

Providing a saliva sample for genetic analysis using a 23andMe DNA kit. Completing the depression and bipolar study surveys. Completing the depression and bipolar study cognitive assessments.

Please note, however, that if you choose to use any of 23andMe's products, software, services, and website, outside of your participation in these study activities, you will be, just like all users of 23andMe's products, software, services, and website, subject to the 23andMe Terms of Service.