When drug trials go wrong…

Travis DixonAbnormal Psychology, Biological Psychology, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Teaching Ideas

When testing a new drug there always has to be volunteers for the first human participants to take the drug. But what happens if the trial fails. Like, fails really badly? This is what happened in 2006 when eight male volunteers signed up to be participants in a “first in humans” study. The treatment was a proposed cancer treatment, but …

Clinical Drug Trials, PTSD and SSRIs

Travis DixonAbnormal Psychology, Biological Psychology, Research Methodology

This post is designed to be used in lesson 4.6 in the PTSD unit plan. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of drug therapy using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat PTSD, we need to consult the research. The most common way the effectiveness of drugs are tested is through a carefully controlled experiments. These experiments are also known …

Exam Tip: How to explain an etiology of a disorder…

Travis DixonAbnormal Psychology, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Revision and Exam Preparation, Teaching Ideas

Explaining an etiology of a disorder can be quite tricky for some students because they focus on the disorder in general. But in order to have a really effective explanation you’re better to focus on specific symptoms. A three step approach to explaining an etiology When learning an etiology or planning an exam answer, you can follow these three simple …