She hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then she realised there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
- adapted from Douglas Adams


Gone but not forgotten
(or catharsis from the past)


and back into history...

Blogs that take my mind to better places

Adrift at Sea
Aeolian dissonance
A Rain of Frogs
Meanwhile across town
Lette's blog
The Pomo circus is in town
This is nothing, you should hear me play piano

Places that it is my pleasure to take you

Mellaflusia
Tiger's bites - a recipe site
Alberg 29's - sailing!


www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from sinistertiger. Make your own badge here.

Search

RSS / Atom

Lies, damned lies, and those who interpret statistics · 11 January 08

I am so tired of the misuse, abuse indeed, of research and statistics. “An increasing number of cannabis users seeking treatment” becomes “Cannabis ‘abuse’ rates rising”. A lack of research into a topic becomes “Researchers have found no evidence proving a link between rising hormone levels in meat and behavioural problems in children”, or “there is no evidence that genetically modified crops contaminate their surrounding environment”. When will people realise that such statements only lose them credibility? When will the powers that be realise that treating people like children, and stupid ones at that, loses them 10-fold the respect they fail to give?

Charities like SANE should be well aware that the connection between cannabis and schizophrenia is as likely to be due to mentally ill people self-medicating, as it is a causative link. The evidence thus far cannot answer that question, after all the most relevant experiments (supplying individuals with cannabis or placebo and watching the results), would be far from ethically sound. But instead they use the lack of evidence as a platform from which to tout their own party line.

Authorities should have learned from the fiasco in the early days of the BSE crisis. That infamous moment where, in the face of a “lack of evidence” (read ‘research’) John Selwyn Gummer fed his unfortunate child a hamburger. That was a moment that haunted the conservative party for a very long time, and that far overshadows Mr Gummer’s great environmental successes. And yet still, “lack of evidence” is cited whenever an end is to be served; statistics are used to support the most convenient conclusion.

Science is rapidly losing the sheen its lofty impenetrability once provided. And along with that, politicians and charities their credibility.

  1. The ability of the media – and indeed people in general- to bend the truth to breaking and have ‘facts’ to back them causes me extreme despair.


    — Adrian    Jan 11, 11:37    #

  2. The BBC News website is beautifully laid out, but even I (who knows as much about current affairs as I care about them) have noticed a dip in some of the content.

    As far as stats in general go, I think it’s the whole culture of ‘spin’ in which we now exist which is to blame. Language is hugely powerful, you only have to look at the rise in popularity of NLP courses among businesses to see that. I blame Derren Brown entirely.

    With regard to the cannabis story we’re years away from conclusive results although your ethically unsound experiment would be a great help! But the mental health team I work with already know the answers, they’re just not ‘official’ yet: mind-altering substances exacerbate pre-existing mental health problems in pretty much every case. Unfortunately due to the world we live in, mind-altering substances are the first thing people turn to if they’re experiencing problems and I can’t in all good conscience blame them.

    What I find interesting is the acknowledged and oft-quoted (and you can tell it’s past my bedtime because I just said ‘oft-quoted’) link between cannabis and psychosis, because there’s already a far more established link between alcohol and depression which doesn’t get mentioned nearly as much. But of course that’s a taxed drug. Ooh, listen to me, coming over all Bill Hicks :-)

    Nice to see you back!! hugs


    — Reaperville    Jan 12, 19:20    #

  3. That comment was shorter in my head, honest :-(


    — Reaperville    Jan 12, 19:43    #

  4. Hahaha, yeah, your comments are always shorter in your head :) I agree with you that cannabis exacerbates pre-existing conditions (alcohol too). The key word is pre-existing. I feel it’s the sign of a failing system (social, not medical). People would rather self-medicate than seek help up front. A mixture of stigma and denial I guess.


    — sarah    Jan 14, 08:00    #
Name
E-mail
http://
Message
  Textile Help