Expectation confounds in psychiatric trials: insights from placebo research

Abstract

Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) are not free of biases. For instance, expectation effects are an important confound in psychiatric RCTs. In this talk, I will explore the relationship between expectation effects, blinding integrity, and estimates of efficacy regarding active treatment and placebo. Proposed methods to mitigate these confounders and enhance the reliability of RCTs across psychiatry will be discussed. I will conclude with suggested research directions and novel approaches to reduce potential confounding by expectation effects.