Nocebo Effect

A Nocebo Effect is a Medical Treatment Effect that occurs when negative expectations of the patient regarding a treatment cause it to have a more negative effect than otherwise.

• Example(s):
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Placebo Effect,
  • Drug-Drug Interaction,
  • Drug-Dependent Effect,
  • Drug-Limiting Effect,
  • Side Effect.
• See: Hypotension, Side Effect, Medication, Dose, Clinical Trial Participant, Clinical Trial Protocol, Drug Development Clinical Trial, Pharmaceutical Drug, Illicit Drug, Drug Interaction, Pharmacology, Drug Reaction, Test Treatment.

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References

2021

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo Retrieved:2021-12-18.
  • A nocebo effect is said to occur when negative expectations of the patient regarding a treatment cause the treatment to have a more negative effect than it otherwise would have. For example, when a patient anticipates a side effect of a medication, they can suffer that effect even if the "medication" is actually an inert substance. The complementary concept, the placebo effect, is said to occur when positive expectations improve an outcome. Both placebo and nocebo effects are presumably psychogenic, but they can induce measurable changes in the body. One article that reviewed 31 studies on nocebo effects reported a wide range of symptoms that could manifest as nocebo effects including nausea, stomach pains, itching, bloating, depression, sleep problems, loss of appetite, sexual dysfunction and severe hypotension.

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