Dear Participant,

Thank you for considering taking part in this research project on Depression Online Communities!

The purpose of this project is to better understand this relatively new phenomenon, and to explore participation preferences, the relevance of subjects discussed, possible constraints on participation, and the potential contributions.

The study is sponsored by NARSAD, the Mental Health Research Association, and the results will be used for scientific purposes only. They may be published in a scholarly report, a journal article and/or a conference presentation. Publishing the results may lead to greater awareness among professional audience. Thus, your participating in the survey may help other people around the world.

As a participant in this research project, you are asked to fill the following survey and sincerely answer all (or most) questions. This should take about 10 minutes of your time. Your participation in this project is anonymous and voluntary. No risks are anticipated, and the questions are not expected to cause any discomfort. However, in case that you find that a specific question causes even mild inconvenience, you may choose not to answer it. You are also free to withdraw your consent for participation at any time and for any reason.

At the bottom of this letter, please indicate whether you agree to participate in this project. If you have any questions about this research project, please feel free to contact me either by e-mail, telephone, or fax.

Sincerely,
Galit Nimrod, Ph.D.
The principle investigator
Ben Gurion University of the Negev
gnimrod@som.bgu.ac.il
Phone: 972-8-647-9734
Fax: 972-8-6472920