Interventions for the Mentally Ill

Intervention for Mental Illness

"Cognitive Therapy for Depression"

What is the specific micro problem?

The specific micro problem being addressed is mental illness.

What is one specific intervention that has been researched to address this micro-problem?

The intervention that has been researched is the different treatment options to aid mental health, particularly treatments for depression.

Identify one research article that discusses the effectiveness of the intervention.

The research article is "Cognitive Therapy for Depression."

Who are the researchers for this study?

The researchers for this study are Dr. Jan Scott and her team at the University Department of Psychological Medicine.

Who are the subjects of this study?

The subjects of this study are individuals who are currently or who have in the past been treated for depression by mental health specialists.

c. What is the number of subjects in this study?

It appears from the text that there were 80 subjects for this study.

d. Where was the research conducted?

The research was conducted at the University Department of Psychological Medicine at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow, UK.

e. Who funded the research?

The research was funded by the American Psychological Association Task Force.

f. What is the date of this article?

This article is dated 2001.

g. From what journal did this article come from?

This article came from the British Medical Bulletin.

h. What are the methods used in this research?

The researchers compared two groups of individuals focusing on the methods utilized by the NIMH study. In doing so, the researchers examined people being treated for depression both through cognitive therapy and through medication.

i. State one piece of data or statistic that is presented. Is it accurately represented?

The study cites Addis and Jacobson and their research on cognitive therapy and other behavior psychotherapies to prove that medicinal aids are an important component of depression aid. Addis and Jacobson believed cognitive therapy was the most important part of depression treatment but did acknowledge that medicinal aid also helps.

j. Do you detect any biases?

There are a few lines in the piece that indicate a negative impression of former research. One such line reads: "Unfortunately, a review of nine early psychotherapy studies revealed poor research designs and limited benefits from this alternative" (2001-page 107).

k. This researcher investigated the uses of cognitive therapy and medicines in treating forms of depression. She looked not only at her own patients and the things she observed in the hospital, but also looked at research that was performed at other institutions to compare her own findings. In her conclusion, Dr. Scott determined that cognitive therapy is best suited for individuals suffering from mild to moderate depression. The more severe the depression, the more likely it will be that medicinal treatment will be needed.

l. Does the article discuss different intervention methods?

The article is primarily concerned with the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in the treatment of depression and the use of medicines if needed. No other treatment options are discussed.

m. If you were conducting this research how might you improve this study?

Were I conducting the study, I might want to look at other potentially more drastic methods for treating mental illness such as electroconvulsive therapy. As it stands, the only thing looked at are the positive and some negative effects of cognitive therapy. Perhaps looking into the types of cognitive therapy would make it more affective.

n. Describe if this researcher discusses any other studies.

The author cites several other studies about clinical depression and treatments. In total, she cites 42 sources on her reference list.

o. What are some indications that this is a credible study?

Dr. Scott is from a reputable institution which would indicate that the study is credible. Additionally, she has a lot of textual support indicating that she has performed her research and is very knowledgeable about her topic. The only deficit I can see is that she is markedly in favor of cognitive therapy and therefore would be potentially liable to slant her findings in favor of that conclusion.

"Initial Severity and Antidepressant Benefits"

a. The researchers for this study are Irving Kirsh, Brett J. Deacon, Tania B. Huedo-Medina, et.al.

b. The subjects of this study are people who suffer from depression who were being treated with antidepressant medication.

c. Researchers acquired data sent to the FDA and meta-analyzed them. So the subjects of the study were the 47 data sets themselves.

d. It is unclear where the study was conducted.

e. It is unclear who funded this research.

f. The article is dated February 2008.

g. This article came from PLoS Medicine magazine.

h. The researchers obtained data on all the clinical trials submitted to the FDA for the licensing of fluoxetine, venlafaxine, nefazodone, and paroxetine. They looked at the results of clinical trials for the medicine to see what the results were and compared them with older generation antidepressants and placebos.

i. The researchers site the study of "Depression: Management of Depression in Primary and Secondary Care" from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

j. Like the other study, there are no obvious biases detected, just a general sense that the writers of the study are invested with the attitude that their findings will be predetermined.

k. The researchers here wanted to determine if the newest forms of antidepressants worked any better than older types of medications. What they found was that these medicines are far less effective and do not even pass the lowest level of effectiveness for FDA approval. They compared people's reactions to these medications vs. placebos and found that the new generation of pills was lacking overall.