ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2025
Effects of open-label placebos and self-monitoring in skin-picking disorder: a randomized crossover trial.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Symptom reduction in skin-picking disorder (SPD) has previously been demonstrated using deceptive placebo treatments. However, to date, no study has investigated the effects of open-label placebos (OLPs) in this context. Method: Fifty-two participants (mean age = 30 years, 85% female) with pathological skin-picking took part in a clinical crossover trial. The study included daily app-assisted symptom monitoring over two conditions: two weeks of OLP treatment (one pill per day) and two weeks without OLP treatment. No pharmacological treatment was given to reduce skin-picking during the trial. Symptom severity was measured using a disorder-specific questionnaire administered at baseline and after each two-week condition (OLP, no OLP) along with daily app ratings of symptom severity. Results: Both self-monitoring with and without OLP treatment resulted in reduced questionnaire scores compared to baseline. Daily app-based ratings showed a modest reduction (-3%) in the urge to engage in skin-picking and the time spent picking (-6 minutes/day) during the OLP condition. Participants generally adhered well to the pill-taking protocol, though many were skeptic toward the OLP treatment. Conclusion: When used as a stand-alone-intervention, OLP treatment demonstrated only minimal effects beyond those achieved through self-monitoring.
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