Question

I am looking for Health Psychological studies where placebos have been used?

Answer 1

a placebo is a dummy pill or a treatment condition of no effect where patients nonetheless report a reduction in their earlier symptoms and distress. In psychological treatment procedures in depression, generalised anxiety disorders and pain disorders, placebos are extensively used as effective intervention.for instance, in a recent study by Mats Fredikson et al( 2008), the researchers used placebos in the treatment of social anxiety disorders. The participants were asked to actively engage in a stressful public speaking event. The patients were then administered a placebo and they were informed that the pill would help to alleviate their anxiety about social interactions in public places. They were then again asked to speak in public. 40% of the placebo-treated patients showed an improvement in their symptoms. The researchers explained the effect of this association between the ‘fake’ knowledge of help and actual alleviation of symptoms in terms of the effect of the cognitive intervention on the amygdaloid which is the center for generation and control of the emotional response of fear in the human brain. In the Fredikson study, placebo-treated patients who experienced a reduction in their social anxiety disorder symptoms also showed a reduction in their amygdala activation.

Reference: Furmack et al(2008), ‘ A Link Between Serotonin Related Gene Ploymorphisms, Amygdala Activity and Placebo-Induced Relief From Social Anxiety’. In The Journal of Neuroscience. December 3,2008. 28(49). Pp. 13066-74.