Posted by Iansf on June 8, 2007, at 1:04:12
In reply to Re: Depression is unfortunate brain chemistry, posted by linkadge on June 7, 2007, at 14:08:20
> Its not logical. Especially since when it comes to depression, the placebo is statistically as/more effective than an active drug! By your logic, we have proven that placebo's work, which they don't. (it is the mind that is working).
>
> So long as the patient knows he or she going to begin taking a drug, there is no way to know the degree of placebo effect that will follow.
>
> Linkadge
>By that line of thinking, there's no way to know if ANYTHING works for anything because it could be the placebo effect. If you do cognitive therapy and your depression goes away, how do you know it's the therapy and not the placebo effect? If you get ECT and the depression goes away, how do you know it's not the placebo effect? How do you ever know it's not the placebo effect?
But the fact is the placebo effect rarely, if ever, lasts for a long period, whereas antidepressants do. Maybe not for everyone, but for many people they do. I took Prozac, Luvox and Parnate for two to four years each, and during the periods I took them I was not depressed. How many people with long-term depression get relief from placebos for that long a time?
In addition, I took Lexapro, Celexa and Citalopram. I expected them all to work, but none did. I also tried SAMe, fish oil and various other over-the-counter supplements, and none worked. Why would the placebo effect happen with some drugs but not others?
You might as well throw science out the window if you're not willing to accept a link between cause and effect that shows up consistently and repeatedly.
John
poster:Iansf
thread:761153
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070604/msgs/761792.html