[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > A study by Irving Kirsch and others on the efficacy of > anti-depressants was recently discussed in TIPS. Those of you who were > following that thread may be interested in reading an editorial in the > most recent issue of BMJ in which the authors, Erick Turner and Robert > Rosenthal, state "In contrast^ to Kirsch and colleagues' conclusion > that antidepressants^ are ineffective, we concluded that each drug was > superior to^ placebo". The paper is available for free at: > http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/336/7643/516. Yes, that is a direct quotation, but reading the rest of the item, it is really a debate about the proper interpretation of effect sizes -- the effect size measures coming from the two studies were nearly identical. T&R go on to say that the amount of "superiority" over placebo was quite small, even by their lights. So we return to the question of whether the actual effectiveness of SSRIs really warranted all the hype (and cost!) that attended (and still attends) them, and whether the FDA and pharmaceutical companies conspired to mislead the public about the degree of their effectiveness by essentially suppressing results that undermined their chosen conclusion.
Regards, -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise his or her views." - Melissa Lane, in a /Guardian/ obituary for philosopher Peter Lipton ================================= --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
