A discursive exploration of public perspectives on placebos and their effects.

Health Psychology Open
Doug I HardmanFelicity L Bishop

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that placebos could be effective in clinical practice. However, knowledge of public perspectives on placebos is underdeveloped. We conducted a discourse analysis of internet comments on news articles related to placebos, aiming to improve this knowledge for clinicians and researchers. We developed two discursive constructs of the placebo. The dominant construct of the 'placebo pill' informs a paradoxical understanding of placebos that closes down treatment. The less-prevalent counter-discursive construct of the 'treatment process' frames placebos as potentially viable within modern evidence-based medicine. We discuss the opportunities and challenges of this alternative understanding of placebos.

References

Sep 23, 1978·Lancet·J D LevineH L Fields
Feb 1, 1976·The Sociological Review·J Comaroff
Feb 1, 1986·Psychological Medicine·A Grünbaum
Mar 1, 1993·Social Science & Medicine·N LynöeM Sandlund
Dec 31, 1997·Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance·C P Slichter
Oct 22, 1998·Bulletin of the History of Medicine·T J Kaptchuk
Jun 12, 1999·The British Journal of Radiology·Z SajjadM Deakin
Aug 11, 2001·Science·R de la Fuente-FernándezA J Stoessl
Mar 20, 2002·Annals of Internal Medicine·Daniel E Moerman, Wayne B Jonas
Dec 24, 1955·Journal of the American Medical Association·H K BEECHER
Mar 19, 2005·International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology·Jung-Hoon YoonTae-Kwang Oh
Apr 14, 2005·Journal of Clinical Psychology·Bruce E WampoldKuldhir S Bhati
Jul 5, 2005·Patient Education and Counseling·Regina OverbergBertie Zwetsloot-Schonk
Feb 27, 2008·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·C E KerrT J Kaptchuk
Apr 19, 2008·The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy·Oron Frenkel
Oct 25, 2008·BMJ : British Medical Journal·Jon C TilburtFranklin G Miller
Dec 25, 2008·Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry·Jennifer Jo ThompsonMark Nichter
Oct 27, 2009·Perspectives in Biology and Medicine·Franklin G MillerTed J Kaptchuk
Dec 17, 2009·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Franklin G Miller, Luana Colloca
Dec 17, 2009·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Robin Nunn
Dec 31, 1946·Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine·M BORN, H S GREEN
May 25, 2010·Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP·Adrian D SandlerJames W Bodfish
Oct 22, 2010·Journal of Medical Ethics·Charlotte Blease
Nov 3, 2010·Perspectives in Biology and Medicine·Franklin G Miller, Luana Colloca
Jan 12, 2011·The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy·Franklin G Miller, Howard Brody
May 18, 2011·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Luana Colloca, Franklin G Miller
Mar 19, 2013·Complementary Therapies in Medicine·Daniel E Moerman
Jul 4, 2013·BMJ : British Medical Journal·Sara Chandros HullFranklin G Miller
Jun 15, 2014·BMJ : British Medical Journal·Trisha GreenhalghUNKNOWN Evidence Based Medicine Renaissance Group
Jul 2, 2015·The New England Journal of Medicine·Ted J Kaptchuk, Franklin G Miller
Sep 2, 2015·BMC Medicine·Trisha GreenhalghHelen Salisbury
Oct 21, 2015·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Mark Alfano
Jun 16, 2016·General Hospital Psychiatry·Kfir FefferUri Nitzan
Aug 12, 2017·Biology & Philosophy·Giulio Ongaro, Dave Ward
Nov 11, 2017·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·Shuo HanAlice Y Ting
Jun 13, 2018·Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics·Andrea W M EversJohn M Kelley
Oct 4, 2018·BMJ : British Medical Journal·Ted J Kaptchuk, Franklin G Miller

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jun 9, 2020·Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care·Ravinder Singh AujlaAvinash Kumar
Jun 22, 2021·Frontiers in Psychology·Iñigo R Arandia, Ezequiel A Di Paolo
Oct 2, 2021·Qualitative Health Research·Erin Sthamann, Linda M McMullen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

CDA

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.