Fake drugs have been found to reduce symptoms in people with stress, anxiety and depression, even when the patients know the pills are placebos.
A team lead by the Michigan State University found that placebos given to people fully knowing they were placebos resulted in significant improvements in patients over two weeks.
Placebos are defined as a medicine or procedure prescribed for the psychological benefit to the patient rather than for any physiological effect.
The study involved participants who were experiencing prolonged stress from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Half of the participants were randomly assigned to a non-deceptive placebo group and the other half to the control group that took no pills,” the study report said.
“The participants interacted with a researcher online through four virtual sessions on Zoom. Those in the non-deceptive placebo group received information on the placebo effect and were sent placebo pills in the mail along with instructions on taking the pills.”
Study co-author Jason Moser said the findings held up even when the pills were sent in the mail.
“Exposure to long-term stress can impair a person’s ability to manage emotions and cause significant mental health problems, so we’re excited to see that an intervention that takes minimal effort can still lead to significant benefits,” Professor Moser said.
“This minimal burden makes non-deceptive placebos an attractive intervention for those with significant stress, anxiety and depression.”
The full report is on the Michigan State University website.
