ArticleContemporary clinical trials communications2022
Open-label placebos as adjunctive therapy for patients with depression.
Article in Contemporary clinical trials communications, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of pharmaceutical form and simulated side effects in an open-label-placebo RCT for improving psychological distress in highly stressed students.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Effects of open-label placebos and self-monitoring in skin-picking disorder: a randomized crossover trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Effects of Open-Label Placebos on Visual Food Cue Reactivity in Children and Adolescents.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Would You Take an Open-Label Placebo Pill or Give One to Your Child? Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey.Psychology research and behavior management · 2024Article
- Study protocol: combined N-of-1 trials to assess open-label placebo treatment for antidepressant discontinuation symptoms [FAB-study].BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
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 at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Placebos prescribed as 'regular' medication can reduce symptoms of depression. However, using a placebo without patients' informed consent presents ethical issues. Therefore, the present study assessed the efficacy of an open-label placebo (OLP), which was administered concurrently with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Methods: Sixty patients (mean age: 48 years) diagnosed with major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to a 4-week CBT outpatient program with or without daily OLP treatment. The patients were assessed directly before and after the program as well as three months after the therapy. Results: Compared to the CBT group, the CBT + OLP group showed a greater reduction in symptoms of depression at the end of the program. Changes in categories pertaining to severity of depression did not differ between groups. All patients completed the program. Noncompliance with the follow-up appointment differed significantly between CBT + OLP (27%) and CBT (7%). Noncompliance was associated with a negative evaluation of the OLP. Conclusions: The OLP intervention reduced symptoms of depression, however, these changes were not clinically meaningful. The OLP increased the risk for loss to follow-up. The high dropout rate in the present study raises questions concerning the acceptance of OLPs in the treatment of depression.
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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.