ReviewFrontiers in psychiatry2019
Placebo Effects in Psychotherapy: A Framework.
Review in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Components of cognitive-behavioural therapy for mitigating core symptoms in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analys.BMJ mental health · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of mindfulness- and acceptance-based cognitive-behavioral therapies for bodily distress in adults: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Placebo effects and neuromodulation for depression: a meta-analysis and evaluation of shared mechanisms.Molecular psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of oncology-specific suicide prevention program on oncology nurses' levels of suicide literacy, suicide stigma, and efficacy perception for suicide risk management: a randomized controlled study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- Bayesian adaptive randomized trial of blended cognitive behavioral therapy for severe fatigue in stable diffuse glioma.Neuro-oncology · 2026Trial
- Increasing motivation and well-being among medical students using curricular self-experience group sessions-a randomized controlled trial.Medical education online · 2025Trial
- Safety and Efficacy of the NMDA-2b-Selective Negative Allosteric Modulator BI 1569912: A Phase Ib Randomized Trial in Major Depressive Disorder.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2025Trial
- Placebo effects in alternative medical treatments for anxiety: false hope or healing potential?CNS spectrums · 2025Trial
- Efficacy of a Self-Guided Internet Intervention With Optional On-Demand Feedback Versus Digital Psychoeducation on Sleep Hygiene for University Students With Insomnia: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Placebo-related improvement with methylphenidate treatment in children with ADHD.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Investigating the efficacy of digital cognitive behavioural therapy in comparison to a sleep-monitoring application via integrated diary and actigraphy: A randomised-controlled trial.Journal of sleep research · 2025Trial
- A core component of psychological therapy causes adaptive changes in computational learning mechanisms.Psychological medicine · 2024Trial
- Binge-eating adolescent treatment (BEAT) - findings from a pilot study on effects and acceptance of a blended treatment program for youth with loss of control eating.BMC psychology · 2023Trial
- Treatment effects and adherence of sexually compulsive men in a randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy and medication.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2023Trial
- Rewind for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Trial.Depression and anxiety · 2023Trial
- Preventing Postpartum Depression in the Early Postpartum Period Using an App-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Anna vs. Judith: A randomized comparison of AI-delivered psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapies for social anxiety disorder.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Cognitive control training as an add-on treatment for late-life depression: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Managing Emotional Intensity Difficulties in Older Adults With Personality Disorders: A Proof-of-Concept Study.Journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The issue of placebo response and the extent of its effect on psychotherapy is complex for two specific reasons: i) Current standards for drug trials, e.g., true placebo interventions, double-blinding, cannot be applied to most psychotherapy techniques, and ii) some of the "nonspecific effects" in drug therapy have very specific effects in psychotherapy, such as the frequency and intensity of patient-therapist interaction. In addition, different psychotherapy approaches share many such specific effects (the "dodo bird verdict") and lack specificity with respect to therapy outcome. Here, we discuss the placebo effect in psychotherapy under four aspects: a) nonspecific factors shared with drug therapy (context factors); b) nonspecific factors shared among all psychotherapy traditions (common factors); c) specific placebo-controlled options with different psychotherapy modalities; and d) nonspecific control options for the specific placebo effect in psychotherapy. The resulting framework proposes that the exploration and enumeration of context factors, common factors, and specific factors contributes to the placebo effects in psychotherapy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.