Combined Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Placebo Treatment for Patients with Depression: A Follow-Up Assessment

Abstract

Anne Schienle,1 Nina Jurinec1,2 1 Instiute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 2Community Health Center Gornja Radgona, Gornja Radgona, SloveniaCorrespondence: Anne Schienle Instiute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz, 8010, AustriaEmail [email protected]: A previous study revealed that patients with depression who received a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and placebo treatment (CBT+placebo) showed greater symptom reduction than a CBT group without a placebo. Moreover, the CBT+placebo group practiced relaxation training more frequently. We conducted a 3-month follow-up assessment to investigate the temporal stability of the placebo effects.Methods: Eighty-two outpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder who had participated in a 4-week CBT course (CBT: n = 40; CBT with daily placebo treatment: n = 42) returned to a 3-month follow-up assessment. The participants of the CBT+placebo group had been debriefed directly after the course.Results: Compared to the CBT group, the CBT+placebo group had lower scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) at follow-up and more participants were below the clinical cut-off score of the BDI-II. Additionally, the CBT+placebo group continued to practice relaxation more frequently.Discussion: This study demonstrates that placebo effects are not short-lived and continue to be present after the debriefing.Keywords: placebo effects, temporal stability, depression, cognitive-behavioral therapy

Keywords

• placebo effects
• temporal stability
• depression
• cognitive-behavioral therapy