A placebo is a treatment or procedure that deliberately misleads the participant in the experiment. Usually in clinical experiments, in addition to the main groups of subjects receiving drugs, there are people who are not receiving real treatment, but who are familiar with the protocol. This approach is essential for the development of robust clinical trials. Researchers want to control for placebo effects because they can affect the outcome of an experiment. It can happen because some people are more susceptible to suggestion than others.
Marchant conducts a fairly detailed analysis, arguing about the power of suggestion. Real life examples and specific people make the story very convincing. The most surprising thing was how strongly people can be subject to the power of suggestion and move away from evidence-based medicine. It is surprising that in an era of rapid technological development, so many people believe in homeopathy and methods based on traditional medicine.
Most likely, it will not be possible soon to trace the placebo effect, measure its strength and understand what causes it psychologically. However, this does not mean that it is not real. As long as the participants in the experiments will say that their condition has improved, although there was no treatment, the placebo effect can be called existing. The phrase ‘all in the human’s head’ most likely means that many of the effects are explained by the chemical reactions of the brain. This statement proves the inseparable connection between mental and physical states.
The ineffectiveness of antidepressants compared to placebo is problematic. First of all, this calls into question the success of medicine in finding cures for mental illness. The use of antidepressants is still stigmatized; if people find out that depression can be treated with the power of thought, most of them are unlikely to see a doctor. The situation will become problematic when the persuasion stops working and people get worse.
Parents definitely stigmatize their child’s autism spectrum disorder without even understanding it. They strive to bring his behavior to the model that would be considered normal. Perhaps they have received disapproval from society and feel ashamed now. This is definitely problematic as it greatly stigmatizes autistic disorders. The idea takes root in society that people with this disease are not normal and should be urgently cured because of such statements.