Medication status of participants in psychopathology research: selective review of current reporting practices

The majority of Ss included in studies of psychopathology are typically receiving psychoactive medication. In view of concerns regarding the confounding effects of psychoactive medication, it appears that researchers should provide information regarding at least the drug status of the Ss studied. A review of the articles on adult psychopathology that appeared in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology during a 5-year period, however, revealed that nearly 50% of reports on Ss presumably receiving psychoactive medications failed to specify the medication status of those Ss. Few studies (15%) provided adequate information regarding the types and dosages of psychoactive drugs received by the Ss. It is argued that researchers should provide a full report of the psychoactive drugs received by research participants and, when participants are unmedicated, to indicate the reasons for drug-free status.