This synopsis for Trial 2: Teens and Depression is provided as an overview for TEACHERS. We advise teachers
NOT to hand this out to the students prior to playing the adventure since much of the suspense will be eliminated.
Synopsis [ 45 KB pdf ]
Players begin the simulation by learning their goal is to work as a Principal Investigator to design a Phase 3 clinical trial. To complete the goal, players will work with three experts: a Clinical Trials Training Director, a Psychiatrist, and a Coordinator.
TRAINING DIRECTOR'S OFFICE:
The Training Director greets the player and requests his/her help in designing the protocol for a Phase 3 clinical trial testing the effectiveness of a new antidepressant, called Drug X, in treating teenagers with major depressive disorder. The Training Director instructs the player to pick up the tablet where he/she learns what a clinical trial is and then to answer a question in the protocol on their tablet. Throughout the simulation, players are prompted to answer open-ended and multiple-choice questions, and to make decisions about the design of the clinical trial in the protocol. At the end of the simulation the contents of the protocol can be saved to the player's computer desktop as a PDF for printing.
PSYCHIATRIST'S OFFICE:
The Psychiatrist reveals that he specializes in treating teenagers suffering from major depressive disorder and can provide information to the player that will help in designing the protocol for the clinical trial. After identifying facts and myths about depression, the player learns the symptoms and helps the Psychiatrist diagnose three teenagers. The current effective treatment for depression is also explained to be fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and cognitive-based therapy. The player learns that Drug X is also a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and needs to be tested to determine if it is more effective than fluoxetine. Players then learn through an arcade style game the neuroscience behind depression and how selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors work to correct the problem.
COORDINATOR'S OFFICE:
After finishing the activities with the Psychiatrist, the player is introduced to the Coordinator and her role in clinical trials. The Coordinator helps the player establish inclusion and exclusion criteria for the clinical trial and gives the player information on three key topics that need to be considered to reduce bias in a clinical trial: study arms, blinding, and randomization. The concepts of placebos and standard treatments in influencing the number of study arms are explained. The player uses the information to establish in the protocol the number of study arms and treatments required for the clinical trial.
TRAINING DIRECTOR'S OFFICE:
The player reports back to the Training Director's office to review the protocol. The player must fix any mistakes in the number of study arms and treatments before concluding. Players also have the opportunity to revise their open-ended responses in the notebook. The simulation ends with the knowledge that although many antidepressants have been developed for treating major depressive disorder and tested through clinical trials, fluoxetine plus cognitive-based therapy is still the most effective treatment for major depressive disorder.
