Why we need more research into the placebo response in psychiatry
Why we need more research into the placebo response in psychiatry
Placebos are not inert, but exert measurable biological effects. The placebo response in psychiatric illness is important and clinically relevant, but remains poorly understood. In this paper, we review current knowledge about the placebo response in psychiatric medicine and identify research directions for the future. We argue that more research is needed into the placebo response in psychiatric medicine for three broad reasons. First, awareness of factors that cause placebo response, for whom, and when, within clinical trials will allow us to better evidence efficacy of new treatments. Second, by understanding how placebo mechanisms operate in the clinic, we can take advantage of these to optimise the effects of current treatments. Finally, exploring the biological mechanisms of placebo effects might reveal tractable targets for novel treatment development.
Placebo, Placebo response, Psychiatric medicine, Psychotropic trials
2317-2323
Huneke, Nathan
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van der Wee, Nic
8d7c7b81-e292-4bce-adca-f94b7a385efd
Garner, Matthew
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Baldwin, David
1beaa192-0ef1-4914-897a-3a49fc2ed15e
October 2020
Huneke, Nathan
7e4a84ba-5aed-4966-adf2-58a92a0b4284
van der Wee, Nic
8d7c7b81-e292-4bce-adca-f94b7a385efd
Garner, Matthew
3221c5b3-b951-4fec-b456-ec449e4ce072
Baldwin, David
1beaa192-0ef1-4914-897a-3a49fc2ed15e
Huneke, Nathan, van der Wee, Nic, Garner, Matthew and Baldwin, David
(2020)
Why we need more research into the placebo response in psychiatry.
Psychological Medicine, 50 (14), .
(doi:10.1017/S0033291720003633).
Abstract
Placebos are not inert, but exert measurable biological effects. The placebo response in psychiatric illness is important and clinically relevant, but remains poorly understood. In this paper, we review current knowledge about the placebo response in psychiatric medicine and identify research directions for the future. We argue that more research is needed into the placebo response in psychiatric medicine for three broad reasons. First, awareness of factors that cause placebo response, for whom, and when, within clinical trials will allow us to better evidence efficacy of new treatments. Second, by understanding how placebo mechanisms operate in the clinic, we can take advantage of these to optimise the effects of current treatments. Finally, exploring the biological mechanisms of placebo effects might reveal tractable targets for novel treatment development.
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why we need more research into the placebo response in psychiatry
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Accepted/In Press date: 11 September 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 October 2020
Published date: October 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
Acknowledgements. NTMH is a clinical research fellow supported by the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC had no role in the drafting of or the decision to publish this manuscript.
Funding Information:
Financial support. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (NH, grant number MR/T000902/1).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.
Keywords:
Placebo, Placebo response, Psychiatric medicine, Psychotropic trials
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 444527
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/444527
ISSN: 0033-2917
PURE UUID: 96f4f4e0-c676-4fba-bbd8-c5a93d565f32
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Date deposited: 22 Oct 2020 16:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:59
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Author:
Nathan Huneke
Author:
Nic van der Wee
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