The Severe Mental Illness Longitudinal Evaluation (SMILE)

An NIHR BioResource study investigating genetic factors associated with SMI

What is the study about?
The SMILE BioResource will collect information from people with experience of SMI to provide a resource for researchers to investigate the risk of Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and its symptoms. This study is part of a bigger project, the NIHR BioResource, which supports health research across many disease areas, such as Depression, Anxiety, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

What is involved?
The participant will be asked to donate a sample of blood or provide a saliva sample followed by questionnaires and a short 2-minute memory task. Participants will have to give permission for the collection, storage, and analysis of relevant information, including medical records. Participants will receive a £25 shopping voucher to thank you for their time. Participants may also be asked if they would like to be contacted about future research studies, including clinical trials they may be eligible.

Who can take part?
The participant will:

• Be able to give fully informed consent for participation in the study
• Be aged 16 years or above
• Have a recorded history of severe mental illness (SMI) that meets ICD-11 criteria for a diagnosis of psychosis.

How can people get involved?
Participants will be invited to take part by their clinical team. You can self-refer or find out more on the study website: https://bioresource.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/severe-mental-illness-longitudinal-evaluation-smile-bioresource