The Nocebo Effect

[ErinKC]

I just referenced this in another post, so I thought some people may find this article interesting.

It's about the nocebo effect, which is the opposite of the placebo effect. Essentially it is the phenomenon of exhibiting physical side effects to drugs based only on suggestion. While the article doesn't discuss health anxiety or anxiety-produced symptoms, I think there is a strong parallel.

The people in these studies weren't even people with anxiety (or at least not specifically chosen as such). Even those without health anxiety ended up creating psychosomatic symptoms while taking sugar pills after they were told they were on a drug that had specific side effects.

I find this so fascinating. I think it really illustrates well how powerful the mind is and how easy it is to give ourselves symptoms just by reading and thinking about them.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-nocebo-effect-5451823/

[Carys]

Very very interesting indeed! ...and....as you point out it shoes how strong the human mind can be with creating links to symptoms.

[Darksky]

Very interested and it's something I agree with. It's also very much likely to be applicable with anxious people.
Take anti depressants. Now I'm not saying in the first few weeks they dont make you more anxious. I'm sure they do. But to an already anxious suggestable person, knowing beforehand you are going to get more anxious when you start them, well, it doesn't take much of a leap to actually getting horrendous symptoms.