The Placebo Effect for Depression
The belief that you are getting therapy for a health issue is sometimes enough for people to relieve their symptoms, even in cases where the treatment you received.
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A study involving the placebo effect research has shown a strong link between individuals improving or feeling better without using an active therapy and a trial depression treatment. The breakthrough may help determine the placebo effect on treating various mental health issues.
The Placebo Effect
The belief that you are getting therapy for a health issue is sometimes enough for people to relieve their symptoms, even in cases where the treatment you received or the pill you took has no medical value.
That is known as the "placebo effect," and scientists need to consider it when conducting studies of new therapies and medications.
To do so, they usually give some volunteers a fake treatment or medication. Then, well, others get the real thing. If both groups' volunteers respond equally, researchers know the placebo effect is treating them and not the therapy.
It is difficult to tell if those with depression benefit from brain stimulation or if it is just the placebo effect.
The Placebo Effect for Depression
Each year, approximately 2.8 million United States adults have treatment-resistant depression, which means their depression did not respond well to a minimum of two antidepressants.
Current studies have proven that stimulating the brain with electrical impulses or magnetic fields may help many who suffer from treatment-resistant depression. However, these studies will often significantly affect the control groups.
That has made it very challenging for scientists to know if people are benefiting at all from brain stimulation or if it is just the placebo effect.
Analysis of Past Studies
A team of international researchers has analyzed the most relevant past studies to map brain parts activated exclusively by the placebo effect. The researchers then determined the brain's functions activated by the past studies and saw some points that overlap.
They think that scientists need to take the overlap into serious consideration well understand the results of brain stimulation studies. For example, researchers are now looking at ways to create trials that may "disentangle" the placebo effect apart from the stimulation effects.
The Future
The scientists also see great potential for doctors to activate the brain's circuitry behind the placebo effect by stimulating the brain areas identified by the research.