Placebos in Schizophrenia Research: An Historical Overview and Introduction to Ethical Issues.

This short introduction provides a historical and ethical overview of placebos and placebo controls in relation to schizophrenia research, with a focus on long-term clinical trials. Drawing on historical and philosophical scholarship, it sketches a two-level analysis of ethical issues that placebos and the placebo effect raise for the field, particularly in light of shifts in clinical trial methodologies and clinical practices.