Curing Disability in Contemporary Russia: Rehabilitation Practices and the Placebo Effect
Keywords:
disability, developmental disabilities, autism, medicalisation, biomedicine, alternative medicine, placebo effectAbstract
The paper is based on the materials of an ethnographic research project involving interviews with parents of children with developmental disabilities, primarily intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, and autism. Though in contemporary humanistic pedagogy and psychology developmental disabilities are viewed in terms of difference and diversity, Russian public and professional discourse on disability is
dominated by a medicalised approach and the majority of parents adhere to this view. This article analyses the patterns of rehabilitation and treatment of children with disabilities in the family context. It views the effectiveness of various popular therapies offered to children with disabilities through the lenses of the placebo effect theory. It shows that the assessment of both biomedical and alternative treatment outcomes
by parents of children with disabilities are subject to the placebo effect, and this effect is maximized by various symbolic elements of treatment, such as price, prestige, or popularity of a certain drug, method or institution. The placebo effect, together with other factors, accounts for the commercialization of the disability services sphere.
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References
B e e c h e r H. K. 1955. The Powerful Placebo. Journal of the American Medical Association 159 (17), 1602–1606.
C a n n o n W. B. 1942. Voodoo Death. American Anthropologists 44 (2), 169–181.
E s h B. E. and C a r r J. E. 2004. Secretin as a Treatment for Autism: A Review of the Evidence. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34 (5), 543–556.
F a i n z a n g S. 2013. The Other Side of Medicalization: Self-medicalization and Self-medication. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry 37 (3), 488–504.
F o s t e r G. M. 1976. Disease Etiologies in Non-Western Medical Systems. American Anthropologist, New Series 78 (4), 773–782.
F r a n k J. B. and F r a n k J. D. 1973. Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy. Baltimore.
G i b b o n s F. and Ho r h m u t h S. E. 1981. Motivational Factors in Placebos Responsivity. Psychopharmacology Bulletin 17, 77–79.
H a h n R. A. and K l e i n m a n A. 1983. “Voodoo Death” and the “Placebo Phenomenon” in Anthropological Perspective. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 14 (4), 3, 16–19.
H a h n R. A. 1997. The Nocebo Phenomenon: Concept, Evidence and Implication fir Public Health 1997. Preventative Medicine 25 (5), 607–611.
H a r r i n g t o n A. (ed.) 1997. The Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA.
J u s t m a n S. 2015. The Nocebo Effect: Overdiagnosis and Its Costs. New York.
K l e i n m a n A. 1973. Medicine’s symbolic reality. Inquiry 16:1–4, 206–213.
K l e i n m a n A. 1980. Patients and Healers in the Context of Culture. Berkeley.
K l e i n m a n A. 1988. The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing and the Human Condition. New York.
L a s a g n a L., B e e c h e r H. K., K e a t s A. S., Mo s t e l l e r F. 1954. A Study of the Placebo Response. American Journal of Medicine 16, 770–779.
L e v i - S t r a u s s C. 1963. The Effectiveness of Symbols. Structural Anthropology. New York, 186–205.
L e v i - S t r a u s s C. 1963. The Sorcerer and His Magic. Structural Anthropology. New York, 167–185.
L o c k M. and S c h e p e r -Hu g h e s N. 1987. The Mindful Body: A Prolegomenon to Future Work in Medical Anthropology. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, New Series 1 (1), 6–41.
M a u s s M. 1926 (1979) The Physical Effect on the Individual of the Idea of Death Suggested by the Collectivity. Sociology and Psychology: Essays be Marcel Mauss. London, 35–56.
M o e rma n D. E. 2000. Cultural Variations in the Placebo Effect: Ulcers, Anxiety, and Blood Pressure. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 14 (1), 51–72.
M o e r m a n D. E. 2002. Meaning, Medicine and the Placebo Effect. Cambridge.
M o e rma n D. E. and J o n a s W. B. 2002. Deconstructing the Placebo Effect and Finding the Meaning Response. Annals of Internal Medicine 136, 471–476
M o r r i s D. 1997. Pain, Placebo and Belief. In A. Harrington (ed.), Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA, 187–207.
O s i n E. 2018. Autism i placebo: kak lechitj autism pri pomoschi rastvora soli. http://elisey-osin.livejournal.
com/1677.html. Access: 25.09.2018 [Autism and Placebo: How to Treat Autism with Saline Solution].
R o s s M. and Ol s o n J. M. 1981. An Expectancy-Attribution Model of the Effects of Placebo. Psychological Review 88, 408–437.
S a n d l e r A. D. and B o d f i s h J. W. 2000. Placebo Effects in Autism: Lessons from Secretin. Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics 21 (5), 347–350.
S a n d l e r A. D., Su t t o n K. A., DeWe e s e J., Gi r a r d i M. A., Sh e p p a rd V., B o d f i s h J. W. 1999. Lack of Benefit of a Single Dose of Synthetic Human Secretin in the Treatment of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. The New English Journal of Medicine 341, 1801–1806.
S h a p i r o A. K. 1969. Iatroplacebogenics. International Pharmacopsychiatry 2, 215–248.
S h a p i r o A. K. and S h a p i r o E. 1997a. The Placebo: Is it much ado about nothing? In A. Harrington (ed.), Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA, 12–36.
S h a p i r o A. K. and S h a p i r o E. 1997b. The Powerful Placebo: From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician. Baltimore.
T h o m p s o n J. J., R i t e n b a u g h C., N i c h t e r M. 2009. Reconsidering the Placebo Response from a Broad Anthropological Perspective. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry 33 (1), 112–152.
Wh y t e S. R. 1995. Disability between Discourse and Experience. In B. Ingstad and S. R. Whyte (eds), Disability and Culture. Berkeley, 267–291.
Internet sources:
Centr aljternativnoy mediciny Autmedic Clinic // http://www.autmedic.com/ (accessed 20.06.2019), in Russian.
DCP. Vosstanovlenie Leny. Kak eto bylo // http://www.dcp-recovery.ru (accessed 20.06.2019), in Russian.
Impulss. Bioacoustic Correction (BAC) https://impulss.eu/en/methods/bac (accessed 20.06.2019).
Logopedprofi. Centr razvitiya i abilitacii Olesi Zhukovoy http://www.logopedprofi.ru/bak (accessed 20.06.2019), in Russian.
C a n n o n W. B. 1942. Voodoo Death. American Anthropologists 44 (2), 169–181.
E s h B. E. and C a r r J. E. 2004. Secretin as a Treatment for Autism: A Review of the Evidence. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34 (5), 543–556.
F a i n z a n g S. 2013. The Other Side of Medicalization: Self-medicalization and Self-medication. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry 37 (3), 488–504.
F o s t e r G. M. 1976. Disease Etiologies in Non-Western Medical Systems. American Anthropologist, New Series 78 (4), 773–782.
F r a n k J. B. and F r a n k J. D. 1973. Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy. Baltimore.
G i b b o n s F. and Ho r h m u t h S. E. 1981. Motivational Factors in Placebos Responsivity. Psychopharmacology Bulletin 17, 77–79.
H a h n R. A. and K l e i n m a n A. 1983. “Voodoo Death” and the “Placebo Phenomenon” in Anthropological Perspective. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 14 (4), 3, 16–19.
H a h n R. A. 1997. The Nocebo Phenomenon: Concept, Evidence and Implication fir Public Health 1997. Preventative Medicine 25 (5), 607–611.
H a r r i n g t o n A. (ed.) 1997. The Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA.
J u s t m a n S. 2015. The Nocebo Effect: Overdiagnosis and Its Costs. New York.
K l e i n m a n A. 1973. Medicine’s symbolic reality. Inquiry 16:1–4, 206–213.
K l e i n m a n A. 1980. Patients and Healers in the Context of Culture. Berkeley.
K l e i n m a n A. 1988. The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing and the Human Condition. New York.
L a s a g n a L., B e e c h e r H. K., K e a t s A. S., Mo s t e l l e r F. 1954. A Study of the Placebo Response. American Journal of Medicine 16, 770–779.
L e v i - S t r a u s s C. 1963. The Effectiveness of Symbols. Structural Anthropology. New York, 186–205.
L e v i - S t r a u s s C. 1963. The Sorcerer and His Magic. Structural Anthropology. New York, 167–185.
L o c k M. and S c h e p e r -Hu g h e s N. 1987. The Mindful Body: A Prolegomenon to Future Work in Medical Anthropology. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, New Series 1 (1), 6–41.
M a u s s M. 1926 (1979) The Physical Effect on the Individual of the Idea of Death Suggested by the Collectivity. Sociology and Psychology: Essays be Marcel Mauss. London, 35–56.
M o e rma n D. E. 2000. Cultural Variations in the Placebo Effect: Ulcers, Anxiety, and Blood Pressure. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 14 (1), 51–72.
M o e r m a n D. E. 2002. Meaning, Medicine and the Placebo Effect. Cambridge.
M o e rma n D. E. and J o n a s W. B. 2002. Deconstructing the Placebo Effect and Finding the Meaning Response. Annals of Internal Medicine 136, 471–476
M o r r i s D. 1997. Pain, Placebo and Belief. In A. Harrington (ed.), Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA, 187–207.
O s i n E. 2018. Autism i placebo: kak lechitj autism pri pomoschi rastvora soli. http://elisey-osin.livejournal.
com/1677.html. Access: 25.09.2018 [Autism and Placebo: How to Treat Autism with Saline Solution].
R o s s M. and Ol s o n J. M. 1981. An Expectancy-Attribution Model of the Effects of Placebo. Psychological Review 88, 408–437.
S a n d l e r A. D. and B o d f i s h J. W. 2000. Placebo Effects in Autism: Lessons from Secretin. Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics 21 (5), 347–350.
S a n d l e r A. D., Su t t o n K. A., DeWe e s e J., Gi r a r d i M. A., Sh e p p a rd V., B o d f i s h J. W. 1999. Lack of Benefit of a Single Dose of Synthetic Human Secretin in the Treatment of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. The New English Journal of Medicine 341, 1801–1806.
S h a p i r o A. K. 1969. Iatroplacebogenics. International Pharmacopsychiatry 2, 215–248.
S h a p i r o A. K. and S h a p i r o E. 1997a. The Placebo: Is it much ado about nothing? In A. Harrington (ed.), Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA, 12–36.
S h a p i r o A. K. and S h a p i r o E. 1997b. The Powerful Placebo: From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician. Baltimore.
T h o m p s o n J. J., R i t e n b a u g h C., N i c h t e r M. 2009. Reconsidering the Placebo Response from a Broad Anthropological Perspective. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry 33 (1), 112–152.
Wh y t e S. R. 1995. Disability between Discourse and Experience. In B. Ingstad and S. R. Whyte (eds), Disability and Culture. Berkeley, 267–291.
Internet sources:
Centr aljternativnoy mediciny Autmedic Clinic // http://www.autmedic.com/ (accessed 20.06.2019), in Russian.
DCP. Vosstanovlenie Leny. Kak eto bylo // http://www.dcp-recovery.ru (accessed 20.06.2019), in Russian.
Impulss. Bioacoustic Correction (BAC) https://impulss.eu/en/methods/bac (accessed 20.06.2019).
Logopedprofi. Centr razvitiya i abilitacii Olesi Zhukovoy http://www.logopedprofi.ru/bak (accessed 20.06.2019), in Russian.
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Published
2019-12-15
How to Cite
Klepikova, A. (2019). Curing Disability in Contemporary Russia: Rehabilitation Practices and the Placebo Effect. Ethnologia Polona, 40, 49–65. Retrieved from https://journals.iaepan.pl/ethp/article/view/25
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