La respuesta placebo en la depresión: Una revisión sistemática

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review is to examine the placebo response in depression, gathering and organizing studies published from 2000 to present day. The search has been conducted using Medline, PILOTS, Psycinfo, Scopus and Pubmed electronic databases, complemented with a manual one, and it has resulted in a selection of 17 articles. From these studies, the superiority of antidepressants over placebos is evidenced, although there is a high overall response in all cases, particularly when "active placebos" are used. Modulating factors behind placebo responses are also described, with special emphasis on the initial severity of the depression and the number of follow-up assessments. Psychobiology findings are explained as well. As concluding remarks, potential limitations of the employed methodologies, feasible directives for future research, and the influence of the knowledge of placebo responses in clinical practices are presented.