Hey. I have a question (or a couple of related questions) and I'm not sure whether the studies have been done. If anybody knows of anything relevant to addressing these questions I'd be grateful.

BACKGROUND

If you take a bunch of people with some condition (e.g., depression, anxiety, allergies, pain) and then you split them randomly into three groups... And you give one third of them an 'active' pill and another third an inert pill and the last third nothing at all... Then what you find is that the second group does a lot better than the third group: That is a placebo response.

QUESTIONS

If you tell the people which group they are in (and carefully explain about placebo response to the placebo group) then does this undermine, enhance, or not affect the effects of the placebo? (ie - will informed consent undermine placebo effect?)

QUESTIONS

Is there a specific syndrome of side-effects that occur in response to placebo (side-effects have been noted as a problem)?

QUESTIONS

Is placebo response a trait or a state thing? (aka: are some people susceptable to it whereas others are not - trait - or does it depend on the particular trial - state)?

QUESTIONS

Does perception of authority alter placebo response? Does it change the placebo response if a slightly imposing kindly elderly male doctor in a white coat gives you the placebo as opposed to a small unattractive female graduate student in a t-shirt and jeans?

Thanks.