PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF THE PLACEBO EFFECT AND THE PROSPECT OF ITS USE

Abstract. For the first time in the medical context of the "placebo" was mentioned in the XVIII century. In 1785, a placebo was defined as a "simple method or medicine", and in 1811 it was defined - "any medicine intended to satisfy the patient's desire, and not for its benefit." Placebo was common in medicine until the 20th century, doctors used it as a "necessary lie" to alleviate the conditions of patients. It should be noted that this term means not only the intake of drugs that do not contain active substances, but also the method of suggestion that any set of procedures can help the patient recover. The practical application of the placebo effect in psychology has shown that all people are more or less affected by it. The reason for this result is the person's belief in the professionalism of the doctor. Further, when the recommendations of a competent specialist are implemented, self-hypnosis mechanisms are included, and the person recovers much faster. This method of treatment is very effective in a number of mental disorders. To date, placebo in medicine is used in its various fields: pharmacotherapy, pharmacology, evidence-based medicine, narcology, psychiatry. However, despite the unique feature - to influence the object in a certain way without the necessary properties, the placebo effect in scientific and practical medecine is given relatively little attention. This question remains insufficiently studied in our time. This article describes a brief history of the emergence and study of the placebo effect, its mechanism and effect. The cases of the use of this phenomenon in practice and provides statistics showing the effectiveness of the use of the placebo effect.