Nicely done, Awais! The points you make dovetail very neatly with the piece I did for Psychiatric Times, in which I discuss the nature of the placebo condition; what the "15%" figure in the Stone et al study really means for clinicians; and why a narrow fixation on numbers can obscure the main reason psychiatric medications are worthwhile; i.e., because they reduce, even if modestly, the suffering and incapacity of extremely debilitating and sometimes lethal illnesses.
Nicely done, Awais! The points you make dovetail very neatly with the piece I did for Psychiatric Times, in which I discuss the nature of the placebo condition; what the "15%" figure in the Stone et al study really means for clinicians; and why a narrow fixation on numbers can obscure the main reason psychiatric medications are worthwhile; i.e., because they reduce, even if modestly, the suffering and incapacity of extremely debilitating and sometimes lethal illnesses.
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/antidepressants-placebos-and-lithium-some-parting-thoughts
All the best,
Ron
Ronald W. Pies, MD
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
SUNY Upstate Medical University