摘要A placebo is usually defined as a pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder.[1] Placebos have been shown to be effective for patient treatment in surgery,[2] cardiology,[3] psychiatry,[4] primary care.[5] In recent years,it has also been considered for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD)[6] as well.This is because anti-depressants used to optimize outcomes[7] in MDD have numerous adverse side effects and can be financially expensive for use while placebos have been reported to help patients with MDD without the high costs.However,the use of placebos faces ethical challenges which may limit its use.This article hopes to illustrate these challenges using the ethical model which consists of autonomy,beneficence,nonmaleficence,and justice[8] to allow clinicians to inform the decision of using placebos for the treatment of MDD in patients.