ArticlePloS one2017
Physicians' beliefs about placebo and nocebo effects in antidepressants - an online survey among German practitioners.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Understanding and leveraging placebo and nocebo effects in perioperative care: a cross-sectional survey of German-speaking anesthesiologists.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Observational
- Psychopharmacological interventions among people who use Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) - a scoping review.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2025Article
- The Importance of Patient Expectations: A Mixed-Methods Study of U.S. Psychiatrists.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Informing About the Nocebo Effect Affects Patients' Need for Information About Antidepressants-An Experimental Online Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Why we need more research into the placebo response in psychiatry.Psychological medicine · 2020Review
- [Nocebo, informed consent and doctor-patient communication].Der Nervenarzt · 2020Review
- The Impact of (the Concept of) Treatment-Resistant Depression: An Opinion Review.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2019Review
- Physical therapists' perspectives on using contextual factors in clinical practice: Findings from an Italian national survey.PloS one · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile substantial placebo and nocebo effects have been documented in antidepressant clinical trials, physicians' awareness of the nonspecific effects in routine antidepressant treatment remains unclear. The study investigated physicians' beliefs and explanatory models regarding the desired effects and undesired side effects of antidepressants, with specific emphasis on nonspecific effects accounted for by placebo and nocebo mechanisms.
methodsAn online survey was conducted among 87 physicians (40.2% psychiatrists, 25.3% neurologists, 24.1% general practitioners, 12.6% internists, 21.8% other). The survey assessed the physician's beliefs in antidepressant effectiveness, as well as 6 explanatory models regarding antidepressant effectiveness and 8 explanatory models for the occurrence of side effects.
resultsMost physicians (89.7%) believed in the effectiveness of antidepressants while acknowledging a considerable role of the placebo effect by attributing around 40% of the total effects to nonspecific factors. For both antidepressant effectiveness and the occurrence of side effects, pharmacological effects were rated as most important (93.1% and 80.5% agreement), but physicians also attributed a substantial role to the patients' expectations (63.2% and 58.6%) and experiences (60.9% and 56.3%). Concerning the physician's own role in promoting nonspecific effects in antidepressant effectiveness, highest endorsements were found for the quality of the physician-patient-relationship (58.6%) and own expectations (41.4%). When asked about side effects, fewer participants agreed that informing the patient about known side effects (25.2%) or the physicians' expectations themselves (17.2%) could induce side effects.
conclusionPhysicians, when prescribing antidepressants, are generally open towards nonspecific treatment mechanisms. However, they consider their own influence as less important than the patient's side, especially when it comes to the explanation of unwanted side effects. Awareness of the possible beneficial as well as malicious role of nonspecific mechanisms should be fostered as the first step towards optimizing antidepressant treatment by promoting placebo while avoiding nocebo effects.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.