Those having experienced or perceived success with one
alternative therapy for a minor ailment may be convinced of its
efficacy and persuaded to extrapolate that success to some other
alternative therapy for a more serious, possibly life-threatening
illness.[198]
For this reason, critics argue that therapies that rely on the
placebo effect to define success are very dangerous. According to
mental health journalist Scott Lilienfeld in 2002, "unvalidated or
scientifically unsupported mental health practices can lead
individuals to forgo effective treatments" and refers to this as "opportunity
cost". Individuals who spend large amounts of time and money on
ineffective treatments may be left with precious little of either,
and may forfeit the opportunity to obtain treatments that could be
more helpful. In short, even innocuous treatments can indirectly
produce negative outcomes.[111]
Between 2001 and 2003, four children died in Australia because their
parents chose ineffective naturopathic, homeopathic, or other
alternative medicines and diets rather than conventional therapies.[112]
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