Selecting a Psychological Research News Story
Antidepressants have been widely used to treat various mental health problems for decades. It is reported that approximately 800 million people worldwide have psychological disorders (Lunghi et al., 2022). Most importantly, about 300 million of them are diagnosed with depression, and the number is increasing (Luo et al., 2020). Antidepressants are used as a first-line treatment for different mental health conditions, which makes their efficiency critical.
Summary of the Research and Its Findings
Murez (2023) reports that scientists explored the mechanisms of the work of antidepressants and explained their delayed action. Patients taking such medications usually start to see results in a few weeks. The phenomenon had not been fully understood before. However, the researcher concluded that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) “increase synaptic density in the brain areas critically involved in depression” (Murez, 2023). They used a randomized controlled trial, which was blind, and implemented a placebo. The findings reveal the mechanisms of work of SSRIs and may help scientists to develop novel antidepressants, which can be more efficient.
Locating the Original Study and Verifying Findings
The original research article was published in the academic journal Molecular Psychiatry. Johansen et al. (2023) analyzed the effect of SSRIs on brain synaptic density. The study’s main strength is its elaborate data analysis process. The scientists utilized various medical and laboratory research methods, which can produce reliable results.
Weaknesses of the Research
However, the study’s main weakness is the minimal sample. The researchers used only 32 participants, which cannot provide information suitable for extrapolation (Johansen et al., 2023). Additionally, the study involved only healthy people, which cannot provide meaningful insights about the clinical use of antidepressants.
Alternative Methodologies to Address Weaknesses
In order to overcome the weakness, larger samples should be used for research. The study should be more continuous and incorporate information from various groups of the population. Finally, the research should be conducted in a clinical setting involving people with different mental disorders taking SSRIs.
References
Johansen, A., Armand, S., Plavén-Sigray, P., Nasser, A., Ozenne, B., Petersen, I. N., Keller, S. H., Madsen, J., Beliveau, V., Møller, K., Vassilieva, A., Langley, C., Svarer, C., Stenbæk, D. S., Sahakian, B.J., Knudsen, G. M. (2023). Effects of escitalopram on synaptic density in the healthy human brain: A randomized controlled trial. Molecular Psychiatry. Web.
Lunghi, C., Dugas, M., Leclerc, J., Poluzzi, E., Martineau, C., Carnovale, V., Stéfan, T., Blouin, P., Lépine, J., Jalbert, L., Espinoza Suares, N. R., Svyntozelska, O., Dery, M., Ekanmian, G., Nogueira, D. M., Akinola, P. S., Turcotte, S., Skidmore, B., LeBlanc, A. (2022). Global prevalence of antidepressant drug utilization in the community: Protocol for a systematic review. BMJ Open, 12(5). Web.
Luo, Y., Kataoka, Y., Ostinelli, E. G., Cipriani, A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2020). National prescription patterns of antidepressants in the treatment of adults with major depression in the US between 1996 and 2015: A population representative survey based analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. Web.
Murez, C. (2023). Some antidepressants take weeks to kick in, and scientists may now know why. U.S. News. Web.
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