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Placebo studies and their effects[edit]

The use of placebo studies and their effects are on the rise. That means safer, more productive case studies as well as trials. Alongside major depressive disorder (MDD), these placebo experiments have been noted in studies of migraines, irritable bowl syndrome, and even Parkinson's disease.[1] Forms of the placebo drug include "sugar pills", vehicle infusions, and sham surgery.[2]

Background[edit]

zzSample placebo trial pill

As the medical background has changed for placebo drugs, so has the definition. Ultimately, the false effects of the substance are believed to be true by one's expectations.[3] The complex process of the placebo studies method is growing at a steady rate in the field of mental illness. The process demands neurobiological mechanisms containing neurotransmitters, to rapidly propel creating the patients desired effect.[4] The clinical placebo trials are found to be a safer alternative to other means of testing. A treatment cannot be proven effective unless it has been properly conducted and investigated.[5]

Double-blind[edit]

A double-blind placebo is called so when neither the researcher nor the patients know who was given which form of treatment. This is the most used form of the placebo methods.[6] It differs from a single placebo in that the researchers actually know what patients are given which form of therapy. The need in this kind of study is to cancel out the power of suggestion.[7]

Controlled studies[edit]

Although the double-blind placebo method is the most common, controlled placebo expierements require a different understanding. A placebo is given to one group of patients, while the treatment being tested is given to another group.[8] Thus, the control is in the hands of people conducting the expierements. If a trial is considered single-blind, it might include a third party to evaluate patients without knowing if they received the correct or false treatment.[9]

Initial clinical experiments[edit]

A study supported partly by a grant from the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), tested the omega 3 fatty acid intake in patients who suffered from Bipolar and other mental disorders.[10] The study found that with over 30 patients tested, the patients that were higher in the fatty acids intake, responded at a higher level than those to whom the placebo medication were given. In 1957, a team led by Wolf at Cornell University Medical School conducted an experiment to determine the reliability of the placebo response within the placebo study. The conclusion produced the answer to be the likelihood of predicting placebo responses was not enhanced by increasing the number of placebo tests performed on any individual.[11]


  1. ^ Encyclopedia of GIS. Shekhar, Shashi, 1963-, Xiong, Hui,, Zhou, Xun, (Second edition ed.). Cham, Switzerland. ISBN 9783319178851. OCLC 987474824. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ Schafer, William J. (2003). Excelsior Brass Band. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.
  3. ^ "What does it mean to be human? Perhaps only the animals can know?". Society & Animals. 3 (2): 188–188. 1995-01-01. doi:10.1163/156853095x00152. ISSN 1063-1119.
  4. ^ Kaptchuk, Ted J.; Miller, Franklin G. (2015-07-02). "Placebo Effects in Medicine". New England Journal of Medicine. 373 (1): 8–9. doi:10.1056/nejmp1504023. ISSN 0028-4793.
  5. ^ "Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study | Winchester Hospital". www.winchesterhospital.org. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  6. ^ Misra, Shobha (2012). "Randomized double blind placebo control studies, the "Gold Standard" in intervention based studies". Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS. 33 (2): 131–134. doi:10.4103/2589-0557.102130. ISSN 2589-0557. PMC 3505292. PMID 23188942.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  7. ^ "Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study | Winchester Hospital". www.winchesterhospital.org. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  8. ^ "Hormone Therapy for Women: Side Effects, Cancer Risks". MedicineNet. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  9. ^ "What is a randomized controlled trial in medical research?". Medical News Today. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  10. ^ Stoll, Andrew L.; Severus, W. Emanuel; Freeman, Marlene P.; Rueter, Stephanie; Zboyan, Holly A.; Diamond, Eli; Cress, Kimberly K.; Marangell, Lauren B. (1999-05-01). "Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder". Archives of General Psychiatry. 56 (5): 407. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.56.5.407. ISSN 0003-990X.
  11. ^ Wolf S, Doering CR, Clark ML, Hagans JA (June 1957). "Chance distribution and placebo reactor". The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 49 (6): 837–41. PMID 13429202.