ADHD 5

Question 1

The placebo effect is so prevalent…

Answer 1

the placebo effect is so prevalent in medicine, that drug companies cannot market drugs unless they use the following mandatory research design

Question 2

Mandatory research design for developing drugs

Answer 2

patients randomly assigned to groups - experimental group (drug); placebo group (inert pills) or control group (no pills) - and the health of each of these groups is assessed

Question 3

Double blind design

Answer 3

doctors and patients do not know status

Question 4

What does medicine try to do

Answer 4

medicine tries to remove the placebo effect, but does clinical psychology encourage it

Question 5

In many clinical drug trials…

Answer 5

in many clinical drug trials, placebo effect is high and physiological symptoms change

Question 6

What happens when participants are informed that they may or may not be getting a placebo

Answer 6

In experiments where participants are informed that they may or may not be getting a placebo (most drug trials) the placebo effect is not as great and mostly all psychological (that is, does not change physiological measures, but changes subjective estimates of pain etc.)

Question 7

In social drinking settings…

Answer 7

in social drinking settings, people immediately relax after sipping their first alcoholic drink and do not have to wait for the physiological effects of alcohol

Question 8

Cousins (1979)

Answer 8

reviewed 15 studies involving 1082 participants and current studies found 30-35% experienced satisfactory relief when placebos were used instead of regular medication

Question 9

Examples of conditions with placebo efficacy

Answer 9

pain; headache; depression; anxiety; stress; insomnia; epilepsy; Parkinson’s disease; hypertension; asthma; eating disorders; gastrointestinal diseases; nausea; Rheumatic diseases; sexual dysfunctions

Question 10

What has the highest placebo effect

Answer 10

psychological/anxiety/emotion based problems (up to 65%)

Question 11

Utility of placebo

Answer 11

maintained gains for 8 weeks for treating panic disorder; 6 months for angina pectoris (chest pain); two and a half years for rheumatoid arthritis; five years plus for Hormone replacement therapy (nocebo effect)

Question 12

History of placebo

Answer 12

empirical (biased) researchers use placebo effect to explain remarkable recoveries, “miracle” medicines and results of faith healers

Question 13

Nocebo effect

Answer 13

placebo creates negative side effects

Question 14

Study on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Answer 14

a study on hormone replacement therapy for symptoms of menopause (had both hormone and placebo groups); after 5 years withdrew medicine and recorded % of negative symptoms; 63% medication; 40.5% placebo

Question 15

What is the postulated process of the placebo effect

Answer 15

classical conditioning; persuasion literature;