Study Finds Placebo Treatment Improves Symptoms of Mental Health Disorders #

A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials suggests that placebo treatment can significantly improve symptoms of various mental health disorders. The analysis included 9,985 adult participants across 90 trials and found that nine disorders, including major depressive disorder, mania, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, showed substantial improvement with placebo treatment. The findings support the use of placebo controls in studies and provide ethical justification for patients to participate in clinical trials with placebo arms. However, medication may still be necessary for certain disorders that did not see as much improvement with placebos, such as OCD or schizophrenia. The study highlights the importance of hope, belief, and patient-doctor interaction in mental healthcare.