A Neuroimaging Study of Open-label Placebo in Depressed Adolescents

In the OLP + rationale group, the participants will be prescribed to take placebos for 2 weeks with the standard 4-point accompanying rationale: (1) the placebo effect is powerful, e.g. in clinical trials placebos are roughly 80% as effective as antidepressants; (2) classical conditioning is a possible mechanism for automatic self-healing - meaning that the body can automatically respond to taking placebo pills like Pavlov's dogs who salivated when they heard a bell; (3) placebo-treated patients who are more compliant have better outcomes, therefore the placebos should be taken faithfully; and (4) positive expectations increase placebo effects, but it is OK to have doubts.

In the OLP without rationale group, the adolescents will be asked to take placebos for 2 weeks but they will be told that the pills contain inert substance and do not have any pharmacological effect.