In a recent post I shared my observation that, as the usefulness of many psychotropics have been cast into doubt by a growing body of evidence, many people who used to chide questioners to "follow the evidence" now resort to anecdotes to defend their advocacy for these drugs. (And, denigration of other methods.) One story … Continue reading Intellect no shelter from cognitive bias
Tag: bias
Med Shortages Not Limited to Adderall
Over the last year, there have been several articles and posts howling that drug warriors (a group I have no interest in defending) are harming patients by creating shortages of Adderall. It struck me as possible, but also as an awfully simple and convenient narrative for writers with a particular point of view on drug policy matters. … Continue reading Med Shortages Not Limited to Adderall
Everybody worships
I just read David Foster Wallace's 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College. It's a really, really great read. A lot of it spoke to me, but, in the context of my recent posts on research and the values of harm reduction, this lept out to me: ...in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is … Continue reading Everybody worships
Addicted to discovery
A new article in Addictive Behaviors suggests that some research may be focused on meeting the needs of the researcher and media rather than clinicians or patients: I'd like to suggest that perhaps the scientific community may be addicted to discovery, with too little consideration of the consequences. Indeed, Stange and Phillips (2007) contend that … Continue reading Addicted to discovery