Weaken the Antidepressant Efficacy Claim

Very Hard Weaken Undermine Argument

A clinical trial investigated the effects of a new antidepressant drug. Researchers claimed that the drug significantly reduces symptoms of depression compared to a placebo. They based this conclusion on data showing that patients who received the drug reported fewer depressive symptoms than those who received the placebo. However, the study had a high drop-out rate among participants taking the drug.

Given this information, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the researchers' conclusion?

Patients who dropped out of the study were more likely to have severe depression.

Some patients on the placebo reported a decrease in symptoms over time.

The new antidepressant has been shown to have side effects that lead to patient drop-out.

Participants who received the drug had less severe symptoms at the start of the study.

The researchers measured depressive symptoms using self-reported questionnaires.

Hint

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