PsyCOVIDelic SurveyImperial College LondonParticipant Information
You are being invited to take part in the PsyCOVIDelic Survey, a project run by the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. Before you decide to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read to following information carefully.
What is the purpose of the study?
The PsyCOVIDelic Survey is a project run by the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. With this survey, we aim to work together with our participants to understand the interaction between psychedelic experiences and current global events — more specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey will help to advance the scientific understanding of personal use of psychedelics in times of global crisis, and enable new insights about the mechanisms of influence between state of the world and state of the mind with respect to acute drug experiences.
Why have I been invited?
You have been invited through one of our recruitment emails and/or social media recruitment adverts. To take part in this survey, you must be at least 18 years of age, have a good understanding of the English language, and have taken a psychedelic drug during the COVID-19 pandemic (not microdosing, i.e., the dose taken must be high enough to have perceivable effects).
Do I have to take part?
It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
What will happen to me if I take part?
The survey begins with questions related to your state of mind and environmental factors present before and during your psychedelic experience. Then, you will have the opportunity to describe your experience in your own words. Additionally, we will ask you about certain aspects of the experience, and finally, there will be some demographic questions. The questionnaire can be filled out it 30 minutes. You can participate in the survey more than once — if you have more psychedelic experiences in the future and wish to share them with us, feel free to come back.
What are the possible advantages, disadvantages, and risks of taking part?
With your participation, we ask you to dedicate some of your time to reflecting on your psychedelic experience. Hopefully, this might provide an opportunity to reflect on and integrate your experience. We ask you to take part based on your own initiative, and at no point encourage you to take an illegal drug. We do not endorse or encourage psychedelic drug-use, but intend merely to serve to capture behaviours that are already taking place. At the end of the survey we have provided links to online professional resources for advice and support and to help with any potentially challenging experiences.
Anonymity
We greatly appreciate the time dedicated to this project; the data you provide is extremely valuable to us. No personally identifying information or IP addresses will be collected in the process. All obtained data is anonymous; no data will be shared that will identify individuals or their responses. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw at any time, simply by closing your browser window. In the case of withdrawal, your fully anonymised data will remain included in the analysis.
What if something goes wrong?
If you are harmed by taking part in this research project, there are no special compensation arrangements. If you are harmed due to someone’s negligence, then you may have grounds for a legal action. Regardless of this, if you wish to complain, or have any concerns about any aspect of the way you have been treated during the course of this study then you should immediately inform the Investigator, Dr Robin Carhart-Harris (k.buglova@imperial.ac.uk). If you are still not satisfied with the response, you may contact the Imperial Joint Research Compliance Office.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of the research study are likely to be published after the end of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Who has reviewed the study?
This study was given ethical approval by Prof. Paul Matthews, Head of Department and Joint Research Compliance Office (JRCO).
Contact for further information
For further information about the study, please contact the study coordinator Lisa Luan (lisa.luan18@imperial.ac.uk).
TRANSPARENCY NOTICE
Summary information sheet
In this research study we will use information from you. We will only use information that we need for the research study. Everyone involved in this study will keep your data safe and secure. We will also follow all privacy rules. At the end of the study we will save some of the data in case we need to check it and for future research. We will make sure no-one can work out who you are from the reports we write.
If you decide to take part, you should indicate your agreement by checking all boxes below.