Ideas for Research Papers - What do you think needs research and why?

Hi Community,

Research grants us the necessary ingredients to understand some of the most complex and elusive problems on earth, and aids in a global effort to improving society as a whole.

What do you think needs investigating?

If you had a researcher sitting in front of you - what might you suggest?

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

1. Iatrogenic effects of treatments as forms of potential medical traumas.
2. Microaggression as a form of continuous traumatic stress.
3. Redefining trauma.
4. Advancing conservation of resources theory.
5. Advancing compensatory relationships.
6. Interdisciplinary research.
7. Advancements that integrate philosophy with psychology, especially ethical philosophy.
8. Advancing existentialism.
9. Having multidisciplinary research that combines sociology, cultural anthropology, psychology, criminology, victimology, and philosophy.
10. Advancements in statistical (empirical) methods themselves by mathematicians/statisticians.

Chronic fatigue syndrome as a neurobiological disorder.

- Treatment efficacy for various holistic/natural/non-pharma remedies. I think some of these work, but there's a lack of research on things that can't be patented (no profit).

- Neurofeedback. There's been some great research, but we need more!

- I think we need more on therapy, what works, and therapeutic harm. I'm not sure how to be more precise though. I know that there are a bunch of people like me who have struggled and feel unhelped by therapy, even though we desperately need help. And, therapists just don't seem to know what to do with me... it's like I'm an alien and am completely different than what they expect to see walk through their door. Maybe research of some sort would help?

Quote:

Originally Posted by lillib 1. Iatrogenic effects of treatments as forms of potential medical traumas. 2. Microaggression as a form of continuous traumatic stress. 3. Redefining trauma. 4. Advancing conservation of resources theory. 5. Advancing compensatory relationships. 6. Interdisciplinary research. 7. Advancements that integrate philosophy with psychology, especially ethical philosophy. 8. Advancing existentialism. 9. Having multidisciplinary research that combines sociology, cultural anthropology, psychology, criminology, victimology, and philosophy. 10. Advancements in statistical (empirical) methods themselves by mathematicians/statisticians.

I'm loving #8. Let's get to work on that.

I would like research done on manufacturing psych meds that are effective at symptom reduction and stabilization without causing weight gain. It is because of the weight-gainer meds that so many people are not med compliant. And not only are the weight-gainers damaging to self esteem; they cause serious health problems.


Much more focused and conclusive research needs to be done on intergenerational trauma.

I have only just learnt about inter generational trauma, and it explains so much about my life. I'm starting work on this with my therapist tomorrow.

1. The effects of regular exercise on medication requirements in bipolar disorder.

2. The effects of dog ownership on medication requirements in bipolar disorder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little Cat I have only just learnt about inter generational trauma, and it explains so much about my life. I'm starting work on this with my therapist tomorrow.

How interesting! I would love to hear what you learn about IG trauma along the way.

1. Research on nutrition and mental health with a focus on improving mood, decrease depression, irritation, suicide ideation, and improved cognition.
2. Benefits of omega 3 fatty acids in fish versus in supplement form and are both equally helpful in decreasing suicide ideation, completed suicide, and what amount is required.
3. Alternatives to medication and\or less use of possibly addicting medications such as benzodiazepine , etc.
4. Alternative treatments such as regular exercise, talk therapy and supplements instead of medication for depression.
5. Research into the use of peer support for suicidal patients or severely depressed patients to include alternative to hospital admission unless absolutely needed. For example, trained peer support person can be contacted by depressed person and they can meet in community setting, ie, coffee shop, restaurant, or city park or talk to suicidal person on the phone to evaluate needs such as hospital admission or meet in restaurant.

@zapatoes

I love your ideas; these would definitely call for program evaluations! I think #5 would be highly beneficial (probably in conjunction with follow-up and/or peer mentoring programs).

Foods with the right kind of spices (I love the smell of herbs, and there hasn't been much research on olfactory therapy in conjunction with healthy foods - another one that can be added to your list) could probably help with so much, including mental health.

@Little Cat
@BethRags

Me three! I'd like to hear what you learn about intergenerational trauma as well. (So far, I only know what I've read in research papers, as they don't typically include this in undergrad college courses let alone grad). If only more therapists were trained in trauma work that included more grieving and intergenerational trauma discussions, maybe there might be a way to break those generational ties and/or promote prevention!

@bpcyclist

I love your ideas, too! I don't know much about bipolar, but I once had a roommate with BP2 and I believe my friend's wife has BP1. Those are interesting research topics!

Thanks lillib and yes aroma and olfactory therapy is a good idea for improving mood and sense of well being. My favorite aisle in the grocery store is coffee and love the smell of coffee brewing , it is wonderful.

@zapatoes

I love the smell of brewing coffee! I use instant right now, for lack of a coffee maker. But now I'm considering getting a coffee maker because it did help motivate me to stick to a morning waking cycle; the smell of coffee means "wake up and enjoy the day." Hee hee.

By the way, is your tag name Spanish for shoes? I took Spanish a few times, but I have never learned it well enough to carry on a conversation let alone write a meaningful paper.

Research of placebo. How to use placebo to improve health without taking medication. The ability of the body to heal itself. It frustrates me how placebo is seen as something weird, that doesn't even belong to medicine. I know it's used in research when testing actual medication but I've never heard of a study OF placebo itself and how to use the effect for positive benefit of patients.
I know I'm too naive and there's never going to be research in this area. (sing) Money, money, money.

@seeker33

The ethics of using placebos has to be considered. For randomized controlled trials, sure, it's fine and ethical. For "lying" to patients purposely to see if there is a reaction of the sugar pill itself, and of the manipulative suggestion from physicians in a position of power, who assert, "Take this and you'll feel better," is probably considered unethical.

I don't know much about medicinal research, but as a patient, I'd be pissed if I were handed a sugar pill. The confound would then be the physician's suggestion, not necessarily the pill. If the physician is convincing, appealing, believable, etc., then I'd say that would influence the interpretation that the patient has on the pill, not the pill's influence alone.

It would, indeed, be interesting to see research done on placebo itself, not just the placebo effect, but how could it be done ethically? Hmm...

It would be interesting if the placebo could be used in conjunction with some other tool, such as self-hypnosis. Maybe believing in a sugar pill, or the act of taking a sugar pill, would be beneficial if we had something to go along with it, like some cognition. But that is precisely what self-hypnosis and mindfulness treatments aim to do; it's not always true or honest, but it gets the job done to alleviate pain, change the way to think about pain, or subdue pain - even in emotional form, and even at the expense of avoiding the grieving process. Some people do well with such treatments, whereas others do not.

In certain special ops in the military, they train their personnel with "dissociation," or a form of self-hypnosis, so that they can withstand pain, torture, etc. Some have even tested themselves with such tools by visiting a dentist's office and not taking any pain meds, to see if those approaches help to alleviate the pain involved in deep periodontal cleaning. For them, it's a conscious effort, for those with dissociative disorders, it may be an unconscious effort, but either way, it doesn't negate the real pain that is going on. Maybe a placebo could work the same, but who would be doing the lying - the physician prescribing or the patient self-hypnotizing?

Interesting research proposal, indeed! Hmm...

How other parts of the brain can talk to the conscious mind, same way the conscious mind can talk to other minds in the outside world. Also, these other parts of the brain (billions of neurons) can send signals throughout the body causing muscles to jump, pain, & other sensations unnecessarily. They can perform music, create other personalities, etc. Maybe it's the same parts of the brain who create our dreams, which are considered "normal".

Voter turnout as affected by (Canadian) socio-demographics.

Why I have to take psychiatric medications and others don't. A sociological perspective perhaps. I think Michel Foucault already wrote on this a fair amount. Though I haven't read much of his work. The phenomenology of medication use in depressed and schizoaffective people (like myself). Why, phenomenologically speaking, does medication "work?" I feel like I've been missing this explanation in all Western psychopharmaceutical accounts. And it's really nagging at me. I mean, no doctor ever explains anything that fully accounts for why or how something works in psychiatric treatment at least. They just wave their hands about and say "neurons" a lot and people believe it. (I'm not saying I'm not a victim of this). I am one of those people who doesn't trust in the psychiatric establishment (I know a lot of people probably disagree with me). They just say "take your meds" and be done with it. But I, being an inquisitive person, don't want to merely do that. It's hard for me to accept meds as the only route in my life. I mean, what happened to me? That's an area of research that could be investigated...

Research on mixed race/ethnic backgrounds and their continuous traumatic stress in terms of microaggressions, discrimination, hate crimes, bullying, and harassment.