This refers to the phenomenon wherein a patient undergoing medical treatment may suffer from negative side effects purely due to her own negative expectations. This is in contrast to the placebo effect where a patient enjoys better health due to positive expectations regarding her treatment. Negative psychological expectations are believed to cause physiological changes in a patient’s body, leading to negative health effects. Scientists have that found that patients who were warned about negative side effects of a certain medicine actually suffered these side effects even though they were only served harmless fake pills.
This is a Premium article available exclusively to our subscribers. To read 250+ such premium articles every
month
You have exhausted your free article limit.
Please support quality journalism.
You have exhausted your free article limit.
Please support quality journalism.
The Hindu operates by its editorial values to provide you quality journalism.
You have read {{data.cm.views}} out of {{data.cm.maxViews}} free articles.
This is your last free article.