The Study
Psychological Predictors of Response to Open-label versus Double-blind Placebo in a Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
This study didn't prove that your thoughts cause your stomach to feel better, but it did find that people who answered certain questions about anxiety and pain in a certain way tended to feel better after taking a fake pill they knew was fake. It's like noticing that kids who like puzzles do better at a game—but we don't know if the puzzle skill made them win, or if they just happened to be the kind of kids who like both.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested whether a fake pill (placebo) helps IBS symptoms when patients know it's fake, versus when they think it's real medicine.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 571 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this suggests that even when people know they're taking a placebo, their mindset about control and hope can make it work, offering a new way to treat chronic symptoms without drugs.
- 2When patients knew they were taking a fake pill (open-label placebo), those with high gut anxiety but low feelings of hopelessness improved the most.
- 3The fake pill worked just as well as when patients didn't know it was fake (double-blind).
- 4Neither group improved if they got no pill.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Psychosomatic medicine
Year
2022
Authors
S. Ballou, J. Haas, J. Iturrino, J. Nee, I. Kirsch, Vikram Rangan, Vivian Cheng, A. Lembo, T. Kaptchuk, J. Kelley
Related Content
Claims (6)
In clinical trials for irritable bowel syndrome, about 30% of patients taking a placebo report noticeable improvement in their symptoms.
In adults with irritable bowel syndrome, being told they are receiving a placebo still leads to symptom improvement similar to when they are unaware they are receiving a placebo, and better than receiving no treatment at all.
Among adults with irritable bowel syndrome, those with high sensitivity to internal bodily sensations and low tendency to dwell on pain experience greater symptom relief from open-label placebo treatment, and this difference is linked to their levels of anxiety about symptoms and ability to adjust thinking patterns.
In adults with irritable bowel syndrome, receiving a placebo without knowing it does not correlate with their baseline levels of internal pain sensitivity or tendency to focus on pain.
Adults with irritable bowel syndrome who have heightened sensitivity in their digestive tract experience more severe symptoms without treatment, and this is linked to anxiety specifically related to gastrointestinal function.
Adults with irritable bowel syndrome who experience greater feelings of helplessness and hopelessness about their pain show less improvement when given a transparent placebo treatment.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.