title: Time-blind evaluation of psychopathology in drug research.
abstract: Before the development of audiovisual techniques, it was impossible to avoid two time-related biases in drug evaluation: rating on different occasions, i.e. in different mood states as regards the rater (the so-called time-gap); knowledge by the rater of the sequence of his ratings. In order to make a time-blind evaluation possible, the author has worked out the following steps: tape-recording of the interviews, standardization of the interview, elimination of questions endangering a time-blind analysis, evaluation of the different interviews of the same patient on different rating sessions. The author summarizes his first three drug trials analyzed according to the time-blind procedure, and concludes that this procedure is a definite progress regarding the validity of drug research.
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D014743:Videotape Recording
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs