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by cryptoz 3686 days ago
> next to useless

No study or scientific curiosity is "next to useless". You are being intentionally antagonistic and there's no need for that. All research has to start somewhere, and this study is a significant start to this field. In no way is it or its conclusions "next to useless".
2 comments
apo 3686 days ago
Maybe the brush was a bit broad.

However, studies interpreted more broadly than warranted can lead the unwary down deep, expensive, counterproductive dead ends. This happens all the time as the popular media get ahold stories, especially those relating to drug treatments and nutrition.

Consider the headline: "Magic mushrooms found to lift severe depression in clinical trial."

That conclusion is out of line with the way in which the experiment was conducted, especially given the high tendency for large placebo effects in such studies. Without proper controls, the conclusion that magic mushrooms lift severe depression is next to useless.

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patrickmclaren 3686 days ago
Agreed. One might say to take the conclusion with a grain of salt, but "next to useless" is being overly dismissive.
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cpncrunch 3686 days ago
No, it is simply a statement of fact. Given that all treatments for depression produce a powerful placebo effect, any non-placebo-controlled trial tells you absolutely nothing about the effectiveness of the treatment. It's true that it does tell you if the treatment is safe, but I think it's fair to say that that information is "next to useless", as there are an almost infinite number of potential treatments. The only way to know if any of them are effective is to do a placebo-controlled trial.

Still, I think it is a plausible treatment, so hopefully there will be some better trials.

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