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Project Spotlight
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Welcome to Givewell's Project Spotlight. Each month we highlight a project
for which a charity is currently seeking funds. We also provide details on
how to give directly for this project.
Project description Schizophrenia is a brain disease that attacks one in a hundred people, usually between the ages of 15 and 20. It affects more than 180,000 people in Australia. The human costs are incalculable. Unfortunately, very little is understood about what causes schizophrenia. The only hope of finding a cure and better treatments is through research. Currently, one in every ten patients with schizophrenia commit suicide – usually when aged in their 20s or 30s. This makes the disease the single biggest cause of death through illness in young people. Presently, caring for sufferers of schizophrenia costs our community approximately $1.7 billion annually. Unlike other illnesses, schizophrenia can only be researched using human participants. Therefore, research has always been hampered by the difficulty of finding people with the illness to participate. NISAD’s new Schizophrenia Research Register aims to overcome this. The Register, which was launched in May 1998, is a volunteer database aimed at recruiting people with schizophrenia to participate in research projects. People who join the Register may be invited to help projects in a variety of ways, ranging from answering a questionnaire to attending a research facility. Each project is explained in detail to the participants and strict confidentiality of all personal information and individual research results is maintained. Without a database of people with schizophrenia, large scale research in this field. The register will not only ensure larger samples and a wider representation of research participants, but also a shorter time frame for specific projects and therefore a reduction in research costs. The NSW Register is the first in Australia and, as far as is known, the first of its kind worldwide. The Register is vital to NISAD’s research and the Institute is aiming to recruit at least 2,000 participants by the end of 2000. There are currently around 400 volunteers registered. In order for the Register to succeed funds are desperately needed to maintain the current database, recruit more participants and, once a reasonable number of participants are sourced, undertake research projects currently being developed by NISAD scientists. Science is the only hope for current and future sufferers of this dreaded disease. Can donors/grantmakers give directly for this project? Yes If so, how? Either by Cheque made payable to “NISAD” and mailed to: NISAD, Level 8, 384 Victoria St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 or by Credit Card payment, providing the following details: Type of Card, Card Name, Card Number, Expriy Date and signature, which can either be mailed to the above address or faxed through to (02) 9295-8415. Please specify that you wish for your donation to go toward the “NISAD Register.” Is there an allowance for administration costs? No Contact details for further information: Erica Power, Development Officer, NISAD, Level 8, 384 Victoria St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010. Phone: 9295-8397 Email: e.power@garvan.unsw.edu.au This project was selected by Givewell’s Executive Director, Michael Walsh: “Grass roots stuff like this appeals to me. It seems like a practical and necessary part of dealing with and furthering research on this terrible condition. It’s also good to encourage volunteer efforts with funding in an area that’s not a fashionable choice for volunteer efforts.” |
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