Many people benefit from taking what are known as paid depression studies. These studies pay subjects in order for them to have their cases of depression evaluated. There are a wide range of variables that can happen during paid depression studies. Therefore, it’s nearly impossible to give you an exact representation of what to expect while undergoing one of the these studies. However, you can learn about the first three phases of a typical clinical trial situation. With that in mind, here is what to expect during the first three phases of a typical depression study.
- Phase I
You’ll find that phase 1 clinical trials tend to involve a small number of people. The general purpose of this first phase is to help determine how depression medication is absorbed and metabolized by the body. In addition, this phase of paid depression studies focuses heavily on the presence of any potential side effects observed while taking the medication in question. In certain situations, a depression study might have therapists or similar professionals ready to ask subjects a series of questions. These questions are asked in order to evaluate the progress of a patient while taking either an actual medication or placebo. - Phase II
A phase 2 clinical trial usually involves a much larger amount of people than the first phase. This part of many paid depression studies involves one group receiving an actual medication while others receive what is known as a placebo. A placebo is simply something that test subjects take that offers no benefits. The purpose of this test is to determine the results of those taking actual medication versus those taking only a placebo. - Phase III
What’s notable about a phase 3 clinical trial is that subjects tend to be studied for especially long periods of time. You’ll find that a phase 3 drug trial usually involve an even larger amount of people than a phase 2 trial. This phase goes into further detail in order to determine the potential safety of a medication. Therefore, the third phase of paid depression studies tends to take a lot of time. However, this tends to be the final stage before a medication is able to obtain approval by the FDA. In some cases, there will be the fourth official phase of a depression study that will need to be performed.
In conclusion, there are several important phase of paid depression studies. These phases enable companies to obtain a better idea of how a medication performs. Test subjects are usually given the medication within the first phase while placebos are administered to certain individuals within the second testing phase. Finally, a third clinical phase is conducted that looks at results over longer periods of time than other phases. Not all depression studies will require three phases. Certain studies may require a fourth phase before a product can be released on the market.
