The Searchlight study

3.5 billion searches are completed on Google each day.
What if even a fraction of those searches could help ensure that people who are experiencing distress or thoughts of suicide are offered the help that they need, when they need it?

The University of Washington is recruiting for a federally funded study to collect data from 1,000 volunteers age 18 or older with suicidal thoughts to discover if information from Google or YouTube searches could be used to detect early signs of distress or suicidal thinking.

How it works: "After enrolling in the study, we will show you how to securely donate your Google search and YouTube data to the research team. You will speak with a member of our study team at the beginning of the study to discuss how you are feeling and your own experience with thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Over the next 12 months, we will reach out periodically to check in with how you are doing by sending you surveys to complete. As you fill out these surveys, you will earn Amazon gift codes. You can participate from anywhere! The study is fully remote – you just need the internet and a personal Gmail account to participate."

Interested in helping? ​https://www.searchlightstudy.org/