Nocebo effect, not placebo effect: Induced illness studied
Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 11:01
in Health & Medicine
Negative suggestion can induce symptoms of illness. Nocebo effects are the adverse events that occur during sham treatment and/or as a result of negative expectations. While the positive counterpart —- the placebo effect -— has been intensively studied in recent years, the scientific literature contains few studies on nocebo phenomena. Researchers now present the underlying neurobiological mechanisms and highlight the relevance of the nocebo effect in everyday clinical practice.