Essay Project: Part 1, Topic Selection Essay Project One: Part 1, Topic Selection Discussion

5) Psychedelic Drug treatments for mental health disorders

Main Topic/Subject: Treatment of mental health disorders with modern psychedelics. This subject can be aligned if you have a desire to discuss a mental health disorder.

• Study: Assessing the risk-benefit profile of classical psychedelics: a clinical review of second‐wave psychedelic research. By: David Bender & David Hellerstein (2022)
  • This study is a review of the methods and results of recent clinical studies of the three classical psychedelics, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca used in the treatment of psychiatric patients since 1991.
  • Treatment of mental health disorders include Substance Use Disorder & Addiction (Alcohol/Tobacco), OCD, Depression (Mood Disorders), Anxiety Disorders, Treatment Resistant Depression.
    • You can look within the study text for the different sections of specific mental health disorders:  as major depressive disorder,  anxiety and mood disorders, substance-use disorders.
• Downloadable PDF file of Psychedelic Drug Treatment Study Download PDF file of Psychedelic Drug Treatment Study 

Additional Information

Utilize the Subject Index in your textbook to find more info on the studies (esp. if you’re using an older edition).

For your initial post (due Thursday), cite at least two topics within the study that explains why the study ‘grabs’ you and why you chose that study.  Explain why in detail.  How do you see your views and opinions on the study making for a good critical analysis essay based on your chosen study.  Please paraphrase these two topics and avoid direct quotes.  

• • Example 

    • One reason that I chose Nisbett & Wilson’s Halo Effect Study was my fascination with the larger halo study research where it shows that people have little awareness of the nature of the halo effect, and that it has such strong influences on our personal judgments and how we infer different parts of another person’s actual abilities and personalities. This particular study builds on this and finds that even though the participants reported that their likability of the professor would not affect their evaluations of the other characteristics, but the study barred out that the simple ‘likability’ (halo effect) had a prejudicial effect on how they rated almost everything else about that instructor (what they termed ‘global evaluation’). (Halo Study pg. 256).

      Another example—I was attracted to the Halo Effect Study because the study’s design focused on College students as subjects that were asked to evaluate a psychology instructor (pg. 252) is something I can relate to because I’m taking a psych course and the likability of the instructor maybe does have a bearing on how I think I might perform in a class and the subsequent review/rating I might give him/her at the course’s completion…”

  • For your 2 follow up posts (due Saturday), respond to at least 2 students and help each other explore the studies in further depth.  This discussion will help others choose their final study that they’ll do their final essay on due during Finals Week (the final week of class either Week 8 of an 8-week semester or Week 16).
  • If any of this is not clear, confusing, overwhelming, or otherwise frustrating–don’t hesitate to email me (Canvas Inbox) so I can help clarify this topic.

• Helpful resources: HOW TO READ A RESEARCH STUDY (CLICK LINK TO DOWNLOAD): How to read a research study Download How to read a research study
  Library Resources: You may utilize your onlineLinks to an external site. and on-ground library resources to find pertinent articles on these studies to further explore each study. Library help is available via Cranium CafeLinks to an external site. also.

• Library Resources: see phone number and access (online) here: Library Home PageLinks to an external site.

• For the final essay, you will be given a choice of 5 pre-selected research studies that we have been explored in class and in your textbook.  These studies are among the most influential psychological research studies.  You will be choosing one of the pre-selected studies that most interests you, pick one that really ‘grabs’ you and you feel you can write a good critical analysis of. You will summarize a study and use critical thinking to demonstrate that you can identify and apply elements of scientific method, research methods and general research strategies in your chosen study and your overall critical analysis of the study-how you feel about it and why it ‘grabbed you’ Much like a literature review, your essay should also look to challenge the research study and the researchers. Your essay should be persuasive, convincing the reader that you have a logical point of view on your chosen study.

  Just to clarify, in discussions, I don’t require students to cite using a formal APA format.  A simple reference (pg. 383) will suffice.  This particular discussion is designed for you to focus on ‘selling’ your fellow classmates as to why you chose your particular study to your fellow classmates, and less about regurgitating facts.  I want you to critically analyze the study as a way to support why the study ‘grabbed’ you and that could be relating the material to your life experience or that a part of the study seems really interesting.  If your argument is enough to then change a classmate’s mind and they decide to choose one of the other studies–then that’s what I want so the class helps one another.  Focus on writing a a well-developed post, 2-3 paragraphs should be about what I’d expect–but you can write more if that’s your desire.  I reward effort here.

• Follow-up Classmate Response Posts: Re-engage with the discussions with your classmates.
  • 2 follow-up posts required (minimum)