Petrie & Rief (2018) Psychobiological Mechanisms of Placebo and Nocebo Effects: Pathways to Improve Treatments and Reduce Side Effects

Esther12 · Aug 18, 2018

I didn't think that this was that interesting but as there's often discussion about differing views on placebo/nocebo effects, and Petrie wrote a poor quality attempt at semi-defending PACE, I thought I'd post it.

Abstract
Placebo effects constitute a major part of treatment success in medical interventions. The nocebo effect also has a major impact, as it accounts for a significant proportion of the reported side effects for many treatments. Historically, clinical trials have aimed to reduce placebo effects; however, currently, there is interest in optimizing placebo effects to improve existing treatments and in examining ways to minimize nocebo effects to improve clinical outcome. To achieve these aims, a better understanding of the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of the placebo and nocebo response is required. This review discusses the impact of the placebo and nocebo response in health care. We also examine the mechanisms involved in the placebo and nocebo effects, including the central mechanism of expectations. Finally, we examine ways to enhance placebo effects and reduce the impact of the nocebo response in clinical practice and suggest areas for future research.
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The paper was largely about just self-reported symptoms, and this little bit drew attention to that:

While the initial results of studies of open-label placebos have been positive, there are some
reasons to be cautious about the findings. A recent study evaluated the effect of open-label placebos on an objective, measurable physiological outcome, wound healing, and found no effect (Mathur et al. 2018), suggesting that the main benefit from open-label placebos could be restricted to subjective symptoms.
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http://sci-hub.tw/https://www.annua...46/annurev-psych-010418-102907#article-denial

I think someone asked about electorsensitivity in the 'afflicated' discussion, and this paper mentions it in relation to nocebo:

The term nocebo has also been extended from the purely medical arena to describe reported
adverse effects following exposure to benign new technology, environmental agents, or stimuli
that the individual believes are likely to cause symptoms or have other negative health effects
(Petrie & Wessely 2002, Petrie et al. 2001, Rief et al. 2012). Electrosensitivity is an example of
such a condition; sufferers complain of symptoms after they believe that they have been exposed to weak electromagnetic fields, such as Wi-Fi or cell phone signals, even though double-blind studies do not support a link between such exposure and symptoms or physiological effects (Rubin et al. 2011).
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Sean · Aug 18, 2018

Placebo effects constitute a major part of treatment success in medical interventions. The nocebo effect also has a major impact, as it accounts for a significant proportion of the reported side effects for many treatments.
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Honestly, how can somebody claiming to be competent, diligent, and ethical make that claim?

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Petrie & Rief (2018) Psychobiological Mechanisms of Placebo and Nocebo Effects: Pathways to Improve Treatments and Reduce Side Effects

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Petrie & Rief (2018) Psychobiological Mechanisms of Placebo and Nocebo Effects: Pathways to Improve Treatments and Reduce Side Effects

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Sean Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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