A Clinician's Guide to Statistics and Epidemiology in Mental Health : Measuring Truth and Uncertainty

Ghaemi S. Clinicians guide to statistics and epidemiology in mental health. Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (July 31, 2009), 166 p. Accessible and clinically relevant, A Clinician's Guide to Statistics and Epidemiology in Mental Health describes statistical concepts in plain English with minimal mathematical content, making it perfect for the busy health professional. Using clear language in favour of complex terminology, limitations of statistical techniques are emphasized, as well as the importance of interpretation - as opposed to 'number-crunching' - in analysis. Uniquely for a text of this kind, there is extensive coverage of causation and the conceptual, philosophical and political factors involved, with forthright discussion of the pharmaceutical industry's role in psychiatric research. By creating a greater understanding of the world of research, this book empowers health professionals to make their own judgments on which statistics to believe - and why. ISBN-13: 978-0521709583. Why data never speak for themselves Why you cannot believe your eyes : the three C's Levels of evidence Types of bias Randomization Regression Hypothesis testing : the dreaded P-value and statistical significance The use of hypothesis testing statistics in clinical trials The alternative : effect estimation What does causation mean? A philosophy of statistics Evidence-based medicine : defense and criticisms The alchemy of meta-analysis Bayesian statistics : why your opinion counts How journal articles get published How scientific research impacts practice Dollars, data, and drugs Bioethics and the clinician/researcher divide. The book describes statistical concepts in plain English for the benefit of busy health professionals. The limitations of statistical techniques and the importance of interpretation, as opposed to number-crunching, are emphasized . There is extensive coverage of causation and the conceptual, philosophical and political factors involved, with forthright discussion of the pharmaceutical industry's role in psychiatric research. By creating a greater understanding of the world of research, this book empowers health professionals to make their own judgments on which statistics to believe - and why This book describes statistical concepts, with minimal mathematical content, it also emphasizes their limitations, teaching the importance of interpretation, and not just number crunching