And here it seems that this placebo explanation—even if grounded in sheer fantasy—can be beneficial to a patient, although interestingly, perhaps not without collateral damage, and it must be done delicately; assertively and authoritatively giving someone access to the sick role can also reinforce destructive illness beliefs and behaviors, unnecessarily medicalize symptoms like aching muscles (which for many people are everyday occurrences), and militate against people’s getting on with life and getting better. It’s a very tricky area.
