title: The role of expectation in the therapeutic outcomes of alcohol and drug addiction treatments.
abstract: Throughout history, patient-physician relationships have been acknowledged as an important component of the therapeutic effects of any pharmacological treatment. Here, we discuss the role of physicians' expectations in influencing the therapeutic outcomes of alcohol and drug addiction pharmacological treatments. As largely demonstrated, such expectations and attitudes may contribute to produce placebo and nocebo effects that in turn affect the course of the disease and the response to the therapy. This article is aimed at discussing the current insights into expectations, placebo and nocebo mechanisms and their impact on the therapeutic outcomes of alcohol and drug addiction treatments; with the goal of informing physicians and other health care providers about the potentially widespread implications for clinical practice and for a successful treatment regimen.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA vera.spagnolo@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Primavera A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Spagnolo
authors.affiliation: Pain and Translational Symptom Science, School of Nursing, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA UM Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Luana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colloca
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heilig
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015990:Placebo Effect; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome