Overview

The role that the placebo effect plays in many treatments is clear: it not only plays a complimentary role in most treatments but it can sometimes be the only benefit of treatment. Brain imaging studies over the past decade have shown that placebo-treated patients undergo some of the same changes in brain activity as those treated with pharmacologically active substances. Yet this important component of healing is not yet harnessed in clinical settings. The Placebo Effect in Clinical Practice brings together what we know about the mechanisms behind the placebo response, as well as the procedures that promote these responses, in order to provide a focused, and concise, overview on how current knowledge can be applied in treatment settings.An introductory chapter documents the ubiquity and extent of the placebo response and discusses the history of the placebo response in relation to medical treatment. Several subsequent chapters focus on how placebos work and how the placebo effect can be enhanced. Expectation, conditioning and elements of the treatment situation are covered in separate chapters. The relationship between psychotherapy and placebo treatment is covered as is the ethics of deliberate use of the placebo effect. Because placebo effects are particularly prominent in some psychiatric conditions, particular attention is given to the role of the placebo response in psychiatric treatment. The final chapter summarizes what we currently know and offers concrete suggestions for how what we know of the placebo effect can be used to enhance the benefit of all treatments.

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9780199933853

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This book brings together what is known about the mechanisms behind the placebo effect/response, the procedures that promote these responses, and what is currently known about this effect in patient care and its applicability in different treatment settings... This is a valuable addition to the medical literature. It helps clinicians and researchers to understand the validity and presence of the placebo effect. It is a well-written book, easy to understand, with the added benefit of helping readers apply its concepts to clinical practice. Marcos Modiano-Esquenazi, Rush University Medical Center, for Doody's, July 2013 Walter A. Brown's book on placebo effects in clinical practice is a contemporary book, written in an easy manner, and provides an overview of clinically relevant knowledge of placebo effects. The author demystifies placebo effects with scientific evidence, and refreshes the reader's knowledge of research methodology The book is recommended to anyone who wants a readable introduction to placebo effects in clinical practice. P M Aslaksen for the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, July 2013

Author Information

Walter A Brown, MD, is clinical professor of psychiatry at Brown University (Provident, RI) and clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University (Boston, MA). Dr Brown's research on the placebo effect spans more than 25 years and he is widely regarded as an authority on the subject. He has authored or co-authored more than 160 peer-reviewed papers, more than 30 of which have been academic papers on the placebo effect.

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