Code of Conduct for Researchers

1. The four cardinal principles of biomedical ethics are autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. Researchers should be ever mindful of these.

2. Diagnosing a person with mental illness while recruitment in research, one must keep in mind various psychological and social consequences of the diagnosis over that person. If any matter of doubt in diagnosis, the person's interest must be favoured over research interest.

3. The relationship between the investigator and participants should be based on honesty, trust, and respect. Hence, any research group who wishes to conduct any research on persons with mental illness must consist of at least one researcher who is competent and trained to understand the rights of persons with mental illness.

4. Researchers must establish trust with participants by explaining about confidentiality of information gathered during the interview. Consent for legal obligations regarding privilege communications needs to be obtained beforehand.

5. Privacy should always be maintained while gathering information from the participants, and interviews in front of others including relatives should be avoided. Privacy of Data collected and stored should be ensured.

6. Mental illness often compromises persons' decision-making capacity, insight related to need for treatment. Researchers should be ever mindful of this fact and try to mitigate issues arising in a positive manner with the best interest of patients at heart.

7. All Research conducted within NIMH must receive approval from the NIMH Ethical Review

Committee. In addition administrative permission of the Director - NIMH should be taken.

8. Clinical Audits done with secondary data can be performed with administrative permission of the

Director.