Non-Deceptive Placebo for Depression
(NDP_CCG Trial)
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
Subclinical depression - depressive symptoms that fall below the threshold for major depressive disorder - is common in young adults and predicts later depressive episodes, yet it often goes untreated. This study tests whether a brief, remotely delivered non-deceptive (open-label) placebo intervention reduces subclinical depressive symptoms over approximately two weeks.
Participants aged 18-30 living in Ohio, with PHQ-8 scores in the 5-9 range, are randomly assigned to one of three groups: a non-deceptive placebo group, a blinded control group, or an unblinded control group. All participants complete three remote sessions over 16-18 days and complete the same assessments on the same schedule. Participants in the non-deceptive placebo group additionally receive psychoeducation about placebo effects and placebo pills that are explicitly described as containing no active ingredients, which they take twice daily for two weeks. Participants in the unblinded control group are told they have been assigned to a control condition. Participants in the blinded control group are not told their group assignment until debriefing at the end of the study.
The study has two aims. The first is to estimate the effect of the non-deceptive placebo intervention on depressive symptoms and related outcomes. The second is methodological: to determine whether telling control participants that they are in a control group changes their outcomes, and therefore whether the choice of control condition systematically biases estimates of non-deceptive placebo effects.
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for adults aged 18-30 living in Ohio who have mild depressive symptoms (not severe enough to be diagnosed as major depression). Participants must score between 5 and 9 on a standard depression questionnaire.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Non-deceptive placebo (NDP)
Trial Overview
The study tests if taking placebo pills—clearly labeled as having no active medicine—can help reduce mild depressive symptoms. Participants are randomly assigned to either the non-deceptive placebo group or one of two control groups, with all activities done remotely over about two weeks.
How Is the Trial Designed?
3
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Psychoeducation about placebo effects, consisting of two brief videos ("Placebos \& the Placebo Effect" and "Placebos Can Work Without Deception") with a minimum viewing time and written comprehension summaries, plus an experimenter-delivered summary of evidence that non-deceptive placebos can reduce emotional distress. Participants also receive inert tablets containing no active pharmaceutical ingredient (microcrystalline cellulose and vegetable-grade stearate; Zeebo Effect LLC), explicitly described as containing no active medicine, mailed in advance and taken twice daily for approximately two weeks, with adherence recorded via a brief daily yes/no tracking survey.
Participants complete the same assessments and receive the same placebo psychoeducation content as the intervention arm, but receive no pills. They are not informed of their group assignment or of the existence of other study arms until debriefing at endpoint.
Participants complete the same assessments on the same schedule as the intervention arm but receive no intervention. They are explicitly informed at the baseline session that they have been assigned to a control condition and will not receive the intervention.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Miami University
Lead Sponsor
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