How to Participate in Psychology Studies

If you suffer from a mental illness or condition such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia, you may be taking medication to help your brain compensate for its chemical deficiencies or excesses. In some cases, however, the medication you're taking might not be adequate to balance you, or might have side effects that make you not want to take it over long periods. For these reasons and others, you might want to participate in a psychology study, during which doctors will test how you react to new medicines and nondrug therapies, without any cost to you -- and some may even pay you.

Instructions

• 1

  Speak with your psychologist at your next appointment and ask him if he can recommend any new or ongoing studies to you. Your psychologist will suggest studies that are legitimate and credible to you and, if he's well-connected, may even be able to get you into studies that are not well-known among the general public.

• 2

  Consult the classifieds section of your local news publication or a leaflet entirely dedicated to classified ads. Skim through the ads for study opportunities, which may be listed under "Medical Jobs" if they include pay in addition to drugs and therapy. Call any phone numbers listed to follow up and gain more information about the trials.

• 3

  Register with a large research firm (nationally, some examples include PPD, Covance or Worldwide Clinic Trials) and keep an eye on their online study listings to see if any psychology opportunities come up. Click any of the links listed under "Resources" to learn more about participating in studies with these firms.

• 4

  Schedule an appointment with a faculty member in the department of psychology at your local university. Although it's unlikely that such a study will be able to pay you, you can be certain of its credibility. Additionally, doing so has the potential to help not only you, but also psychology students who are trying to master their discipline.