Turning the tables, people with mental illness share what they want scientists to study

Patients are usually the subject of scientific studies, not the designers. But a new effort is trying to bring patients’ priorities to the forefront in research on mental health.

For months, the Milken Institute and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance have been collecting the perspectives of patients with depression or bipolar disorder. The first-of-its-kind survey poses a question patients don’t often get asked: What questions about your health and experience with depression or bipolar disorder would you most like research to help you answer?

The responses have poured in. Since launching the survey in August, more than 5,600 people have taken part.