Prof. Irving Kirsch

Contact Details

Research Interests

My main research interest is in response expectancy, suggestion, and suggestibility. Among the domains in which I investigate these phenomena are: placebo effects, antidepressants, hypnosis, pain perception, behavioural automaticity, memory distortions, complementary and alternative medicine, cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, repetitive strain injury, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety disorders, and depression.  My book, The Emperor's New Drugs: Exploding he Antidepressant Myth, was published by The Bodley Head in 2009.  U.S. and Japanese editions were published in 2010.  French and Italian editions are in press.

Collaborations

• Harvard University Medical School, USA
• University of Connecticut, USA
• University of Windsor, Canada
• University of Sussex, UK
• University of Valencia, Spain
• Binghamton University, USA
• Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Portugal

Publications

Books (from 2006)

• Kirsch, I. (2010). The emperor’s new drugs: Exploding the antidepressant myth. New York: Basic Books.
• Lynn, S. J., Rhue, J. W., & Kirsch, I. (In press). Handbook of clinical hypnosis (2nd edition). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Kirsch, I. (2009). The emperor’s new drugs: Exploding the antidepressant myth. London: The Bodley Head.
• Heap, M., & Kirsch, I. (2006). Hypnosis: Theory, research and application. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishers.
• Lynn, S. J., & Kirsch, I. (2006). Essentials of clinical hypnosis: An evidence-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Journal Articles (from 2006)

• Mazzoni, G., Foan, L., Hyland, M. E., & Kirsch, I. (2010). The effects of observation and gender on psychogenic symptoms. Health Psychology, 29(2), 181-185.
• Kirsch, I. (2009). Antidepressants and the placebo response. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale, 18, 318-322.
• McGeown, W.G., Mazzoni, G., Venneri, A., Kirsch, I. (2009). Hypnotic induction decreases anterior default mode activity. Consciousness and Cognition, 18, 848-855).
• Dienes, Z., Brown, E., Hutton, S., Kirsch, I., Mazzoni, G., & Wright, D. (2009). Hypnotic suggestibility, cognitive inhibition, and dissociation. Consciousness and Cognition, 18, 837-847.
• Kelley, J. M., Lembo, A. J., Ablon, J. S., Villanueva, J. J., Conboy, L. A., Levy, R., et al. (2009). Patient and Practitioner Influences on the Placebo Effect in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(7), 789-797.
• Kong, J., Kaptchuk, T.J., Polich, G., Kirsch, I. Vangel, M., Zyloney, C., Rosen, B., Gollub, R.L. (9009). An  fMRI  study on the interaction and dissociation between expectation of pain relief and acupuncture treatment. NeuroImage, 47(3), 1066-1076.
• Mazzoni, G., Rotriquenz, E., Carvalho, C., Vannucci, M., Roberts, K., & Kirsch, I. (2009). Suggested visual hallucinations in and out of hypnosis. Consciousness and Cognition, 18, 494–499.
• Kong, J., Kaptchuk, T.J., Polich, G., Kirsch, I. Vangel, M., Zyloney, C., Rosen, B., Gollub, R.L. (2009). Expectancy and treatment interactions: A dissociation between acupuncture analgesia and expectancy evoked placebo analgesia. NeuroImage,45, 940–949.
• Scoboria, A., Mazzoni, G., & Kirsch, I. (2008). “Don’t know” responding to answerable and unanswerable questions during misleading and hypnotic interviews. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 14(3), 255-265.
• Kong, J., Gollub, R. L., Polich, G., Kirsch, I., LaViolette, P., Vangel, M., et al. (2008). An  fMRI  study on the neural mechanisms of hyperalgesic nocebo effect. Journal of Neuroscience, 28 (49), 13354 –13362.
• Kirsch, I. (2008). Challenging received wisdom: Antidepressants and the placebo effect. McGill Journal of Medicine, 11 (2), 219-222.
• Kirsch, I., Mazzoni, G., Roberts, K., Dienes, Z., Hallquist, M.H., Williams, J., & Lynn, S.J. (2008). Slipping into trance. Contemporary Hypnosis, 25, 202-209. 
• Carvalho, C., Kirsch, I., Mazzoni, G., Leal, I. (2008). Portuguese norms for the Waterloo-Stanford Group C (WSGC) Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 56, 295-305.
• Johnson, B.T., & Kirsch, I. (2008). Interpreting the efficacy of antidepressants: Statistical significance versus clinical benefits. Significance, 5, 54-58.
• Kaptchuk, T.J., Kelley, J.M., Deykin, A., Wayne, P.M., Lasagna, L.C., Epstein, I.O., Kirsch, I., Wechsler, M.E. (2008). Do “placebo responders” exist? Contemporary Clinical Trials, 29, 487-595.
• Whalley, B., Hyland, M.E., & Kirsch, I. (2008). Consistency of the placebo effect. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64, 537-541.
• Kaptchuk TJ, Kelley JM, Conboy LA, Davis RB, Kerr CE, Jacobson EE, Kirsch I, Schyner RN, Nam BY, Nguyen LT, Park M, Rivers AL, McManus C, Kokkotou E, Drossman DA, Goldman P, Lembo AJ. (2008). Components of the Placebo Effect: A randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome. British Medical Journal, 336, 998-1003.
• Kirsch, I., Deacon, B.J., Huedo-Medina, T.B., Scoboria, A., Moore, T.J., & Johnson, B.T. (2008) Initial severity and antidepressant benefits: A meta-analysis of data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. PLoS Medicine 5(2): e45. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050045. Click here for document.
• Kaptchuk TJ, Kelley JM, Conboy LA, Davis RB, Kerr CE, Jacobson EE, Kirsch I, Schyner RN, Nam BY, Nguyen LT, Park M, Rivers AL, McManus C, Kokkotou E, Drossman DA, Goldman P, Lembo AJ. (2008). Components of the Placebo Effect: A randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome. British Medical Journal, 336, 998-1003.
• Kaptchuk, T.J., Kelley, J.M., Deykin, A., Wayne, P.M., Lasagna, L.C., Epstein, I.O., Kirsch, I., Wechsler, M.E. (2008). Do "placebo responders" exist?  Contemporary Clinical Trials, 29, 487-595.
• Whalley, B., Hyland, M.E., & Kirsch, I. (2008). Consistency of the placebo effect. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64, 537-541.
• Johnson, B.T., & Kirsch, I. (2008). Interpreting the efficacy of antidepressants: Statistical significance versus clinical benefits. Significance, 5,54-58.
• Carvalho, C., Kirsch, I., Mazzoni, G., Leal, I. (2008). Portuguese norms for the Waterloo-Stanford Group C (WSGC) Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 56, 295-305.
• Carvalho, C., Mazzoni, G., Kirsch, I., Meo, M., & Santandrea, M. (2008). The effect of posthypnotic suggestion, hypnotic suggestibility, and goal intentions on adherence to medical instructions. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.56, 143-155.
• Kong, J., Kaptchuk, T. J., Polich, G., Kirsch, I., & Gollub, R. L. (2007). Placebo analgesia: Findings from brain imaging studies and emerging hypotheses. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 18, 173-190.
• Kirsch, I., & Moncrieff, J. (2007). Clinical trials and the response rate illusion. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 28 (4), 348-351.
• Richardson J., Smith J., McCall G., Richardson A., Pilkington K., & Kirsch I. (2007). Hypnosis for nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the research evidence. European Journal of Cancer Care, 16, 402-412.
• Lorber, W., Mazzoni, G., & Kirsch, I. (2007). Illness by Suggestion: Expectancy, Modeling, and Gender in the Production of Psychosomatic Symptoms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 33, 112-116.
• Carvalho, C., Capafons, A., Kirsch, I. Espejo, B., Mazzoni, G., & Leal, I. (2007). Factorial Analysis and Psychometric Properties of the Revised Valencia Scale of Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis – Client Version. Contemporary Hypnosis, 24, 76-85.
• Kirsch, I., Mazzoni, G., & Montgomery, G. H. (2007). Remembrance of hypnosis past. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis,49, 171-178.
• Kirsch, I., Mazzoni, G., & Montgomery, G. H. (2007). Hypnotic history: A reply to critics. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis,49, 249-254 .
• Scoboria, A., Mazzoni, G., Kirsch, I., & Jimenez, S. (2006). The Effects of Prevalence and Script Information on Plausibility, Belief, and Memory of Autobiographical Events. Applied Cognitive Psychology.
• Scoboria, A., Mazzoni, G., & Kirsch, I. (2006). Effects of Misleading Questions and Hypnotic Memory Suggestion on Memory Reports: A Signal Detection Analysis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 54, 340-359.
• Conboy LA, Wasserman RH, Jacobson EE, Davis RB, Legedza ATR, Park M, Rivers A, Morey EB, Nam BH, Lasagna L, Kirsch I, Lembo AJ, Kaptchuk TJ, Kerr CE.(2006). Investigating Placebo Effects in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Novel Research Design. Controlled Clinical Trials, 27, 123-134.
• Kaptchuk, T.J., Stason, W.B., Davis, R.B., Legedza, A.T.R., Schnyer, R.N., Kerr, C.E., Stone, D.A., Nam, B.H., Kirsch, I., Goldman, R.H. (2006). Sham Device Versus Inert Pill: a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Two Placebo Treatments for Arm Pain due to Repetitive Use. British Medical Journal, 332, 391-397.
• Raz, A., Kirsch, I., Pollard, J., & Nitkin-Kaner, Y. (2006). Suggestion reduces the Stroop effect. Psychological Science, 17, 91-95.
• Kong, J., Gollub, R.L., Rosman, I., Webb, J.M ., Vangel, M.G., Kirsch, I, & Kaptchuk, T.J. (2006). Brain activity associated with expectancy-enhanced placebo analgesia as measured by fMRI. Journal of Neuroscience, 26, 381-388.
• Carvalho, C., Mazzoni, G., Kirsch, I., & Leal, I. (2006). Apresentação da versão Portuguesa de una escala de avaliação da susceptibilidade hipnótica (Presentation of a Portuguese version of a scale of hypnotic susceptibility). Psicologia Saúde & Doenças, 7, 3-12.