The STARR Coalition

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The STARR Coalition

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There is a gap in the system of care. As a part of the holistic treatment approach, we understand the vital role medications play in recovery.

The STARR Coalition's mission is to create MEANINGFUL CHANGE in the mental health landscape by increasing COMMUNICATION, PARTNERSHIPS, and GOODWILL among mental health researchers and the communities they serve. The STARR Coalition was formed to create positive change by increasing communication, partnerships and goodwill among stakeholders in the areas of treatment, advocacy, and pharmaceutical research with emphasis on consumers and patients mental health recovery. Many individuals struggling with mental illness continue to seek medication which will alleviate symptoms. Patients need to know they have the ability and right to participate in clinical trials in the hopes of clearing the path for new opportunities in pharmacology research. Patients also need the support of advocacy groups such as NAMI to ensure accountability in their treatment as well as assist in understanding guidelines and rights of individuals in trials and treatment. The STARR Coalition recognizes many golden threads in this union between stakeholders. All parties share the goal of ensuring individuals find a personal level of recovery from their symptoms. Positive outcomes necessitate treatment compliance with individuals invested in their care and recovery. Advocacy groups such as NAMI provide a wealth of support and information to consumers and their caregivers or families. By directing efforts to strengthen advocacy organizations from grassroots to national levels, we reinforce cooperation among all participants. Again, we hope to bring all of these parties together to form a work-group to streamline communication to ensure those being served receive the highest standards of care.

11/05/2026

Our November newsletter is out! 🍂

Inside: a thank-you to family caregivers, news and photos from our Certified Sites showing up for their communities, a chance for mental health advocates to nominate themselves for FDA advisory committees (first deadline November 15), and our call for 2026 STARR Awards nominations.

Read it here: https://conta.cc/484Mjs2

If you followed a broken or out-of-date link, please inform the owner of the referring document. Email [email protected] to report this error or continue on the Constant Contact home page.

11/02/2026

Myth: “If I join a clinical trial, I might get a sugar pill instead of a real drug.”

Fact: not every trial uses a placebo. When one is used, strict guidelines apply, and you’re told about the risks up front, before you decide to join.

Have questions about a study?

Ask them.
How is it designed?
How will I be monitored?
Can I leave at any time?

A good research team welcomes those questions. ❤️

Know someone who’s curious about research but not sure what to expect? Share this with them.

https://thestarr.org/dispelling-myths-about-clinical-research/

Dispelling Myths about Clinical Research Mental health clinical research continues to be burdened by negative perceptions, even after decades of meaningful advancements in the field. This ongoing stigma, compounded by the broader societal stigma surrounding mental illness, deepens the disparity betw...

10/30/2026

In case you missed it: our October newsletter is full of community stories, like CenExel Decatur’s brain health event, where more than 30 people got memory screenings. 📬

Take a look: https://conta.cc/3TCMKWY

Email from The STARR Coalition Depression Awareness and Mental Health Screening Month STARR News & Updates October 2026 Your Next Participant Isn't Searching for a Trial As of September 19, Clinic

10/29/2026

Today at 2:00 PM ET: our panel on how community mental health screening opens the door to care.

There’s still time to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/l1PHU34BToGgmNq7bBjM_w #/registration

10/28/2026

Tomorrow at 2:00 PM ET, join us for a free conversation on how community mental health screening opens the door to care.

Our panelists come from Mental Health America and clinical research sites, with a moderator from industry.

Registration is required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/l1PHU34BToGgmNq7bBjM_w #/registration

Please share with anyone who might want to join.

10/26/2026

New research on treatment-resistant bipolar depression: a randomized, double-blind trial in JAMA Psychiatry tested adding ketamine infusions to the ongoing treatment of 68 adults whose depression hadn’t improved with at least two earlier medications. After two weeks, depression scores were lower with ketamine than with midazolam, the comparison treatment, and no mania or psychosis occurred in either group.

It’s a small trial, the benefit lasted about a week after the last infusion, and the researchers say larger studies are needed. This is research, not treatment advice. It’s also a reminder that every advance depends on people willing to take part. 💙

Read the study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2853662

The Ket-BD randomized clinical trial evaluates the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of adjunctive intravenous ketamine compared with midazolam for treatment-resistant bipolar I or II depression.

10/23/2026

Research works best when the people it’s for have a voice. One takeaway from Psych Congress 2026: clinicians, advocacy groups, and people with lived experience shared the same room, and that’s where trust in research starts, before anyone ever walks into a clinic.

A simple idea for research sites: team up with a local advocacy partner for a “Clinical Trials 101” session, and put together a myth-busting one-pager families can take home. 💙

More in our October newsletter: https://conta.cc/3TCMKWY

Email from The STARR Coalition Depression Awareness and Mental Health Screening Month STARR News & Updates October 2026 Your Next Participant Isn't Searching for a Trial As of September 19, Clinic

10/21/2026

Does your research site invest in its community? STARR Site Certification recognizes sites that build real relationships with advocacy groups and community organizations, and we're welcoming new Certified Sites.

Your first year is a foundation year, and the first step takes just a few minutes: https://thestarr.org/pre-assessment/

The STARR Site Certification was created to promote empathy and communication between research site staff and patients, caregivers, and advocacy groups, as well as providing ongoing support for best practices around areas identified by the stakeholders of The STARR Coalition. The first step in the S...

10/19/2026

Losing interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy, called anhedonia, is a core symptom of depression. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Nature Medicine tested adding pramipexole, a medicine also used for Parkinson’s disease, to the treatment of 85 adults with depression or bipolar depression and significant anhedonia. Over nine weeks, anhedonia scores dropped more with pramipexole than with placebo, and the improvement held through a six-month follow-up.

It’s a single-center trial, and this is research, not treatment advice. But it shows how studies are increasingly targeting specific symptoms, not just diagnoses. 💙

Read the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42286321/

Anhedonia is a core and disabling symptom of mood disorders with limited treatment options. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of the dopamine agonist pramipexole in patients with mood disorders characterized by clinically significant anhedonia. In this single-center, randomized, double-blind, pla...

10/16/2026

Good research starts with listening. NIMH encourages researchers to ask communities directly what would make taking part easier, from time off work and transportation to childcare and concerns about stigma or trust, and to share information in the language people speak at home.

When research is built around real lives, more people can say yes on their own terms. 💙

Source: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/funding/grant-writing-and-application-process/points-to-consider-about-recruitment-and-retention-while-preparing-a-clinical-research-study

Points to Consider about Recruitment and Retention While Preparing a Clinical Research Study

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11700 Kanis Road, Ste 2
Little Rock, AR
72211

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http://www.thestarr.org/

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