researching a disease you have

[FailedScientist]

Hi, I was wondering what people thought about someone picking a research topic (biomedical research field) on a disease that they themselves have or someone close to them has. Is it an additional source of motivation, or is it too much stress/pressure? Are there any ethical issues?

Thanks!

[Hope.for.the.best]

To my knowledge, it is ethical to research on a disease that you or someone close to you has. I didn't pick a research topic myself. My advisors made the choice for me and it happens to be a disease that my grandpa died of (my advisors are aware of that). That disease is common but quite deadly. It was emotionally overwhelming to see my grandpa dying in pain and yet the doctors could not do anything. So to me, doing research on that disease is more of a source of motivation than stress/pressure. Even though my contribution to the treatment of that disease is minimal, I somehow feel better researching on that disease. 

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more. 

[Adelaide9216]

Yes, it's possible to do this. I've seen people do it in the mental health field.

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Have you spoken with your advisor about this? Some advisors don't consider it a problem while others will or some may have you take additional steps since you're so close to the topic. I studied a community I'm a member of for my MA and my advisor had me jump through a few extra hoops to make sure I wasn't letting my emotions cloud the results of the study (more than they would for any scholar, at least). 

[fuzzylogician]

This is not uncommon in (some parts of) psychology, I think. You need to be careful, though, to stay objective and also to allow yourself the opportunity to grow and change. There's a difference between what might spark an interest in a question for you, and how you then pursue it or define your research around it. You might benefit from reading portions of this document: 

http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

[juilletmercredi]

Your motivation needs to be a genuine scientific interest in the unique research/scientific challenges and questions that this particular disease provides, and not only an interest in trying to solve some of the problems or cure the disease yourself. Otherwise you'll be super frustrated.