Commonly, patients who respond to an antidepressant ask whether they’re merely experiencing a placebo effect. What they may not know is that the placebo has fallen on hard times. Progressively, steadily, depression researchers have seen a weakening in the case for classic placebo effects, the argument that when antidepressants work, the engine is hopeful expectation. The latest damage comes from a reassessment of trends in drug research. 14 years ago, researchers at Columbia made note of a disturbing pattern. In antidepressant trials, placebo response rates had been rising steadily, year by year, decade by decade. Where, in 1980, perhaps 20 percent of participants on dummy pills showed subst
“The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” ― Abraham Maslow
