---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it comes to dead bodies in current…"
description: "\"“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in the placebo gro..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg"
---

#  When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic…

![“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in the placebo groups. This is quite different from what happens in penicillin trials or trials of drugs that really work. -David Healy” quote by Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg)

> ““When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in the placebo groups. This is quite different from what happens in penicillin trials or trials of drugs that really work. -David Healy””

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Clinical trials often show more deaths in active drug groups than placebo, suggesting possible hidden harms.

**In simple terms:** Active drug groups may have higher mortality than placebo.

Key Takeaway

Scrutinize drug safety data closely.

Themes

medical ethics clinical trials pharmacology

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

warning informative

When to use this quote

- psychiatric prescribing
- patient counseling
- policy making

Key Concepts

risk assessment causality regulatory oversight

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms could explain excess deaths?
- How can trials better detect safety signals?

A Different Perspective

Higher mortality may be due to disease severity, not drug effect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Placebo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/placebo/)

## Related quotes

> [“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“Recognize that your attention is the most valuable thing you can ever own, and you alone have the ultimate power to choose where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/recognize-that-your-attention-is-the-most-valuable-thing-you-can-ever/)

[Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/)

> [“Time is a placebo medication, it only helps you if you believe it can, it only heals you if you let it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/time-is-a-placebo-medication-it-only-helps-you-if-you-believe-it-can/)

[Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/)

> [“The gun, my young friend, is that dark cousin of the placebo, the nocebo. If a placebo provides false benefits, the nocebo imparts false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-gun-my-young-friend-is-that-dark-cousin-of-the-placebo-the-nocebo/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Subliminal cuing and unconscious priming influence numerous behaviors unrelated to this book. People think potato chips taste better when hearing crunching sounds. We like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/subliminal-cuing-and-unconscious-priming-influence-numerous-behaviors/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [There is a major problem with reliance on placebos, like most vitamins and antioxidants. Everyone gets upset about Big Science, Big Pharma, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-is-a-major-problem-with-reliance-on-placebos-like-most-vitamins/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [In all technai or arts (medicine perhaps most of all), there is a self-exhilaration on the part of the practitioner (the intoxication of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-all-technai-or-arts-medicine-perhaps-most-of-all-there-is-a-self/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [You have to believe in a placebo or it won't work, but if it works, it's obviously working in some indirect way, through feedback…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/you-have-to-believe-in-a-placebo-or-it-won-t-work-but-if-it-works-it/)

[Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/)

> [Many traffic signs have become like placebos, giving false comfort to the afflicted, or simple boilerplate to ward off lawsuits, the roadway version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vanderbilt/many-traffic-signs-have-become-like-placebos-giving-false-comfort-to/)

[Tom Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vanderbilt/)

> [Either it is true that a medicine works or it isn't. It cannot be false in the ordinary sense but true in some alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/either-it-is-true-that-a-medicine-works-or-it-isn-t-it-cannot-be/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“This book is also not about denial. None of the methods you’ll read about here involve denying whatever health condition you may presently have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dispenza/this-book-is-also-not-about-denial-none-of-the-methods-you-ll-read/)

[Joe Dispenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dispenza/)

> [I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-find-placebos-uplifting-and-exhilarating-it-means-that-taking/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Eventually it became clear that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life or death. Soon mind-body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/eventually-it-became-clear-that-our-emotions-attitudes-and-thoughts/)

[Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/)

> [A man doesn't need a study to know if he's feeling amorous. There is no such thing as a placebo erection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/a-man-doesn-t-need-a-study-to-know-if-he-s-feeling-amorous-there-is/)

[Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/)

> [I became a human placebo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sherman/i-became-a-human-placebo/)

[Bobby Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sherman/)

## More by Robert Whitaker

> [“The history of psychiatry and its treatments can be a contentious issue in our society, so much so that when you write about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-history-of-psychiatry-and-its-treatments-can-be-a-contentious/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“The off-drug patients also suffered less from depression, blunted emotions, and retarded movements. Indeed, they told Carpenter and McGlashan that they had found it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-off-drug-patients-also-suffered-less-from-depression-blunted/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“I have always been told that a person has to accept that the illness is chronic," she says, at the end of our interview.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/i-have-always-been-told-that-a-person-has-to-accept-that-the-illness/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“Rather than fix chemical imbalances in the brain, the drugs creat them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/rather-than-fix-chemical-imbalances-in-the-brain-the-drugs-creat-them/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“If you expand the boundaries of mental illness, which is clealry what has happened in this country during the past twenty-five years, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/if-you-expand-the-boundaries-of-mental-illness-which-is-clealry-what/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“...and she no longer is having her emotional responses to...stress numbed by medication. "I've been off the drugs for two years, and sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/and-she-no-longer-is-having-her-emotional-responses-to-stress-numbed/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“The cocktail she took usually included a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant, and a benzodiazepine for anxiety, although the exact combination was always changing. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-cocktail-she-took-usually-included-a-mood-stabilizer-an/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“In the United States, people with depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia are losing twelve to twenty years in life expectancy compared to people not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/in-the-united-states-people-with-depression-bipolar-and-schizophrenia/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“The prescribing of stimulants to ADHD youth began to take off in the 1980s, and today, thirty years later, studies have failed to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-prescribing-of-stimulants-to-adhd-youth-began-to-take-off-in-the/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“That is where we stand as a nation today. Twenty years ago, our society began regularly prescribing psychiatric drugs to children and adolescents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/that-is-where-we-stand-as-a-nation-today-twenty-years-ago-our-society/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“...all I could think about was how both sets of parents had needed to make their decision, on whether to medicate their child, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/all-i-could-think-about-was-how-both-sets-of-parents-had-needed-to/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“Psychosis does not live in the head. It lives in the in-between of family members, and in the in-between of people," Salo explained. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/psychosis-does-not-live-in-the-head-it-lives-in-the-in-between-of/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“Klonopin ruined my lie. It takes away your drive, and in the morning, you don't want to get out of bed, because you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/klonopin-ruined-my-lie-it-takes-away-your-drive-and-in-the-morning/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

[Explore all 21 Robert Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

## More Placebo quotes

> [“Recognize that your attention is the most valuable thing you can ever own, and you alone have the ultimate power to choose where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/recognize-that-your-attention-is-the-most-valuable-thing-you-can-ever/)

[Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/)

> [A man doesn't need a study to know if he's feeling amorous. There is no such thing as a placebo erection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/a-man-doesn-t-need-a-study-to-know-if-he-s-feeling-amorous-there-is/)

[Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/)

> [Eventually it became clear that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life or death. Soon mind-body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/eventually-it-became-clear-that-our-emotions-attitudes-and-thoughts/)

[Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/)

> [I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-find-placebos-uplifting-and-exhilarating-it-means-that-taking/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“This book is also not about denial. None of the methods you’ll read about here involve denying whatever health condition you may presently have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dispenza/this-book-is-also-not-about-denial-none-of-the-methods-you-ll-read/)

[Joe Dispenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dispenza/)

> [Either it is true that a medicine works or it isn't. It cannot be false in the ordinary sense but true in some alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/either-it-is-true-that-a-medicine-works-or-it-isn-t-it-cannot-be/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Many traffic signs have become like placebos, giving false comfort to the afflicted, or simple boilerplate to ward off lawsuits, the roadway version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vanderbilt/many-traffic-signs-have-become-like-placebos-giving-false-comfort-to/)

[Tom Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vanderbilt/)

> [You have to believe in a placebo or it won't work, but if it works, it's obviously working in some indirect way, through feedback…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/you-have-to-believe-in-a-placebo-or-it-won-t-work-but-if-it-works-it/)

[Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/)

> [In all technai or arts (medicine perhaps most of all), there is a self-exhilaration on the part of the practitioner (the intoxication of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-all-technai-or-arts-medicine-perhaps-most-of-all-there-is-a-self/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [There is a major problem with reliance on placebos, like most vitamins and antioxidants. Everyone gets upset about Big Science, Big Pharma, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-is-a-major-problem-with-reliance-on-placebos-like-most-vitamins/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [“Subliminal cuing and unconscious priming influence numerous behaviors unrelated to this book. People think potato chips taste better when hearing crunching sounds. We like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/subliminal-cuing-and-unconscious-priming-influence-numerous-behaviors/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [“The gun, my young friend, is that dark cousin of the placebo, the nocebo. If a placebo provides false benefits, the nocebo imparts false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-gun-my-young-friend-is-that-dark-cousin-of-the-placebo-the-nocebo/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Time is a placebo medication, it only helps you if you believe it can, it only heals you if you let it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/time-is-a-placebo-medication-it-only-helps-you-if-you-believe-it-can/)

[Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/)

> [I became a human placebo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sherman/i-became-a-human-placebo/)

[Bobby Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sherman/)

[Browse all 65 Placebo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/placebo/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in the placebo groups. This is quite different from what happens in penicillin trials or trials of drugs that really work. -David Healy”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Whitaker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Placebo"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/robert-whitaker-27072_placebo_when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current_2431763.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the…” — Robert Whitaker",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robert Whitaker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When it comes to dead bodies...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```