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Placebo/Nocebo Symptom Reporting in a Sham Herbal Supplement Trial

Rob Haggard

Kimberly Kelly

Dan Forrer

University of North Texas

The present study examined reports of placebo and nocebo symptoms in a college sample. The study was presented under the guise of a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an over-the-counter herbal supplement intended to enhance cognitive performance. Participants were informed they would be receiving either an herbal supplement or a placebo, and each was provided with a mock list of possible beneficial and adverse effects of the "supplement." In fact, all participants received placebo. Symptoms were endorsed by a significant majority of participants following placebo ingestion. More important, results indicated that the few participants who believed they received an herbal supplement endorsed (via self-report) significantly more symptoms than those who believed they received a placebo. Neither anxiety nor social desirability was significantly related to symptom reporting. Results suggest that beliefs concerning treatment received may subsequently affect the degree of placebo response in a no-treatment group. Implications for clinical trials and future research are discussed.

Key Words: placebo • nocebo • expectancy • anxiety • social desirability

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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Link, J. Articles by Forrer, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Link, J. Articles by Forrer, D. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?