Constructing the placebo effect in the placebo wars: What is the way ahead?

The concept of placebo has had a long history in medicine, and has evolved over time with the introduction of randomized controlled trials for health treatments, the increasing research done around the psychotherapies, the development of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches to health, as well as the conceptual contributions from academic disciplines like psychology and anthropology. In recent years, discourses about placebo have pursued a number of key directions, and the current review paper explores these developments. For example, psychology has looked at placebo in terms of classical conditioning and the role of anxiety. Anthropology on the other hand has focused on the role of meaning and ritual in the placebo effect and psychotherapy research has encouraged an examination of the effects of the therapeutic relationship. Our review paper concludes by outlining directions ahead for future scholarship and research.