According to estimates, more than 193,000 adolescents aged 10 to 18 received a diagnosis of depression in 2017. © Nailia Schwarz/stock.adobe.com
According to estimates, more than 193,000 adolescents aged 10 to 18 received a diagnosis of depression in 2017. © Nailia Schwarz/stock.adobe.com
Does "learning through observation" relieve depressive symptoms in children and adolescents?
Depression is a serious mental illness affecting an increasing number of children and adolescents. Positive treatment expectations could be used to extend the treatment options of these young patients. This project investigates whether and how the expectations of adolescents and therefore their depression can be influenced by observing successful treatment in others and knowingly taking a placebo without an active ingredient.
Improvement of treatment expectations through administration of an open-label placebo in adolescents with major depression: a proof-of-concept study
This project will systematically modulate treatment expectations through a combination of observational learning and administration of an open-label placebo. The objective is to test whether the administration of open-label placebos improves depressive symptoms in adolescents (aged 13.0 to 17.9) with major depression and whether the degree of improvement can be increased by additional observational learning. An emotional interference paradigm will be used to characterise the role of attention with regard to expectation modulation of negative affect and depression.
In close cooperation with these projects
Positive and negative expectations and the pain experienced by children and adolescents.
Prof. Dr. Christiane Hermann
Dr. Alexander Winkler
A06
Can positive thinking help us to age more healthily?
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Brassen
Project Lead
Prof. Dr. Johannes Hebebrand
Prof. Dr. Yvonne Nestoriuc