‘I wish I had taken part sooner’: how a medical trial transformed a young person’s life

Gulliver Waite, who is now 31, said by the time his mother came across a clinical trial for pramipexole he had given up work because he could not cope. Photograph: National Institute for Health and Care Research

Millions of young people risk missing out on new treatments for health conditions and having to use medicines that are unsafe, ineffective or inappropriate because so few take part in medical research. One of those bucking the trend explains why he signed up to a study and how it transformed his life.

Gulliver Waite was diagnosed with clinical depression at 19. For years, he struggled with extremely low mood, anxiety, frequent panic attacks and occasional paranoia.