Pilot Study of Open-label Placebo to Treat Major Depressive Disorder

Inclusion Criteria: * Men or women aged 18-60 years old. * Current Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women or women of child bearing potential not using a medically accepted means of contraception. * Patients who are a serious suicide or homicide risk. * Unstable medical illness including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurological, or hematological disease. * The following Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV diagnoses: 1) organic mental disorders; 2) substance use disorders, including alcohol, active within the last year; 3) schizophrenia; 4) delusional disorder; 5) psychotic disorders not elsewhere classified; 6) bipolar disorder; 7) acute bereavement; 9) severe borderline or antisocial personality disorder; 10) current primary diagnoses of panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) (disorders that present as chief complaint and/or have their onset preceding the onset of major depressive disorder). * Uncontrolled seizure disorder. * Patients with mood congruent or mood incongruent psychotic features. * Current use of other psychotropic drugs. Exception: Patients who have been on a stable dose for 30 days of classes of medications such as non-benzodiazepine sedatives, anxiolytic benzodiazepines, non-narcotic analgesics may be included. Flexibility will be allowed based on physician discretion. * Clinical or laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism. * Patients who have taken an investigational psychotropic drug within the last year. * Patients who have not responded to two or more antidepressant trials of adequate doses (e.g., fluoxetine 40 mg/day or higher) and duration (e.g.,for six weeks or more) over the past five years. * Any concomitant form of psychotherapy (depression focused)