Unlabelled: The current approach to treating endometriosis is often inadequate or intolerable for many patients. Until more effective therapies are available, we should aim to maximize the effectiveness of our current options. Optimization may be possible by reducing nocebo effects, which are the negative therapeutic effects not directly caused by a treatment. Awareness of these effects, how they arise, and the factors influencing them, is invaluable if we aim to limit their magnitude. The unique nature of endometriosis diagnosis and management is especially prone to nocebo effects due to multiple factors, including diagnostic delays, feelings of invalidation, social transmission of expectations, and persistent symptoms despite numerous treatments. This commentary discusses the origins of these effects in people with endometriosis, methods of limiting nocebo effects, and future research directions.
Lay Summary: The term 'nocebo' describes the undesirable effects of a medication or treatment that patients may experience which are not directly caused by the treatment (e.g. tiredness from a sugar pill). These arise from pre-existing expectations toward a treatment and are influenced by multiple external factors, including past experiences, online media, personal beliefs, and personality factors. Endometriosis is a disease characterized by cells like those from the inside of the uterus growing outside of the uterus. The complex nature of endometriosis diagnosis and management creates an environment where nocebo effects may affect treatment outcomes. We may be able to limit nocebo effects through awareness and simple actions that strengthen patient-doctor relationships. Effective therapeutic relationships with doctors are crucial in limiting negative expectations and are established through empathy, honesty, and support. Therapeutic relationships built on trust may allow healthcare providers to address negative expectations, nocebo effects, and the misinformation affecting endometriosis management.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8801028 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/RAF-21-0040 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Biosimilars in pediatric rheumatology: innovations, challenges, and opportunities.
Expert Opin Biol Ther
January 2025
Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey.
Article Synopsis
- Biosimilars are biologic drugs that mimic established medications for treating rheumatic diseases and become available as cost-effective alternatives once original patents expire.
- Since their introduction in pediatric rheumatology in 2013, several biosimilars have been launched, offering more treatment options for children with conditions like juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
- The article emphasizes the need for education and effective communication among healthcare providers and patients to enhance understanding and ensure proper use of biosimilars.
As different as fear and anxiety: Introducing the fear and anxiety model of placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia.
Psychol Rev
January 2025
Pain Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University.
Research suggests that negative affective states, such as fear and anxiety that accompany placebo treatment may be considered predictors of placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia. There is also data showing that the likelihood of developing nocebo hyperalgesia is related to the relatively stable tendency to experience these negative emotions. We aimed to summarize the current state-of-the-art in studies and theoretical models on the role of fear and anxiety in placebo hypoalgesia/nocebo hyperalgesia, with a clear differentiation between these emotions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSide effects following administration of open-placebos: A randomized controlled trial.
J Psychosom Res
December 2024
Health Psychology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address:
Objective: To assess whether individuals reported more side effects and decreased mood after receiving an open-label placebo compared to a control group that received no treatment.
Methods: We randomized participants to receive an open placebo or no treatment. The primary outcome was reported side effects on the Side effect Attribution Scale (SEAS) at 15 min and at 24-h.
Placebo and the law of identification.
Front Psychiatry
December 2024
College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.
Thousands of essays and studies have been published on placebo and nocebo. Yet, despite this plethora of information, we are not much closer to a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental mechanism producing placebo and nocebo effects than we were in 1946, when participants in the Cornell Conferences on Therapy speculated on the roles of authority, belief and expectancy. In this paper, we examine the weaknesses in current placebo and nocebo definitions and theories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrait responsiveness to verbal suggestions predicts nocebo responding: A meta-analysis.
Br J Health Psychol
February 2025
Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Background: Nocebo responding involves the experience of adverse health outcomes in response to contextual cues. These deleterious responses impact numerous features of mental and physical health but are characterized by pronounced heterogeneity. Suggestion is widely recognized as a contributing factor to nocebo responding but the moderating role of trait responsiveness to verbal suggestions (suggestibility) in nocebo responding remains poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!