A study from Michigan State University found that non-deceptive placebos, or fake drugs given to people with full knowledge that they are fake, effectively manage stress, even when given remotely.
Placebo drugs
In scientific research, when researchers refer to a placebo, they actually mean an ineffective treatment. Under the influence of the “placebo effect,” some people see their health mysteriously improve after receiving a fake treatment that contains no active ingredient. This pill may be loaded with sugar.
A patient may feel better when taking a placebo because of some psychological factors and physiological changes in the brain and nervous system. However, there are other factors besides the brain that can play a role. In some cases, people’s symptoms may improve regardless of whether they are getting a real or a placebo treatment, and they simply believe that this change has occurred because they have taken something.
The treatment is placebo but without deception
The researchers recruited a group of people with long-term stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic for a two-week randomized controlled trial. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to a placebo group, while the other half were given no pills (the control group). Participants interacted with the researchers online through four virtual Zoom sessions, and those in the placebo group were given information about the placebo effect and mailed the placebo pills with instructions on how to take them.
The study, published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being on August 14, found that the group that took the placebo showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety and depression levels within two weeks, compared with the control group that received no treatment. Participants also reported that the placebos were easy to use, non-intrusive and appropriate for the condition.
“Long-term exposure to stress can impair a person’s ability to manage emotions and cause significant long-term mental health problems, so we are excited to see that an intervention that requires minimal effort can lead to significant benefits,” said Jason Moser, study co-author and professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University, according to EurekAlert. “This minimal burden makes non-deceptive placebos an attractive intervention for those experiencing significant stress, anxiety, and depression.”
Future benefits
In particular, researchers hope to be able to deliver non-deceptive placebos remotely by health care providers.
“The ability to administer non-deceptive placebos remotely greatly increases the potential for treatment,” said Darwin Guevara, study co-author and postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. “Non-deceptive placebos delivered remotely have the potential to help individuals with mental health problems who would not otherwise have access to traditional mental health services.”