The power of belief and expectancy in understanding and management of depression

This article examines how beliefs can influence the definition, classification, understanding, and treatment of depression. It is organized in five parts: The first part critically reviews the definition of depression; the second part explores the medicalization of depression; the third part examines the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the promotion and marketing of antidepressant medications; the fourth part surveys the psychological therapies for depression and examines the role of expectancy in outcome; and the last part looks at the mechanisms involved in the placebo effect. A list of evidence-based strategies, including hypnosis, are discussed in the context of cognitive hypnotherapy for depression to illustrate how expectancy effect can be maximized in psychotherapy.