60 Minutes: the placebo effect

[masen]

It seems the placebo effect is just as effective as pills for many health problems. Even when the doctor doesn't know it is a placebo, it has a strong effect. Many of the anti-depressants are working just because the patient thinks they will work. Some drug companies are not disclosing this when they do their studies. It is an interesting 60 minutes program from earlier this year.

[mysideofthings]

I never experienced any placebo effect from the many I tried starting at 14. I am now 30 and stopped at around 23 with trying other medications because of the horrible effects (or zero effect) I experienced from them. I only WISH I had a placebo effect. I wouldn't have complained either way because then my suffering would have lessened years ago, and my quality of life would be substantially different now.

I also know of more people who have had negative effects from antidepressants than positive though, so I would guess this placebo effect isn't that common.

I was under the assumption that placebos are only used in clinical trials and not prescribed by psychiatrists, GPs, etc. in a clinical setting, is that correct? If it is not, I am not quite understanding how it is really ethical to give people who are struggling severely a placebo outside of a clinical trial.