Irving Kirsch serves as the Associate Director of the Program in Placebo Studies and also lectures in medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Besides his roles at Harvard, Kirsch assumes the status of Emeritus Professor of Psychology at three other prestigious institutions; Plymouth University (UK), University of Hull (UK), and lastly, the University of Connecticut (USA).

Renowned for his active contribution to academia, Kirsch has successfully published a whopping number of 10 books and upwards of 200 articles for scientific journals and book chapters. His primary areas of focus and expertise revolve around placebo effects, antidepressants, hypnosis, and suggestion. Furthermore, he has been credited with originating the concept of response expectancy.

Notable Achievements

Kirsch's influential 2002 meta-analysis on the efficacy of antidepressants drew attention towards itself, ultimately resulting in changes to the official guidelines for the treatment of depression in the United Kingdom.

In 2008, he once again found himself in the spotlight. His meta-analysis from that year received extensive international media coverage and was listed by the British Psychological Society as one of the "10 most controversial psychology studies ever published".

The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth

Kirsch's book, The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth, was received exceedingly well. It has been translated into several languages, including French, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, and Polish. The book was also shortlisted for the distinguished Mind Book of the Year award.

The book further received high-profile coverage; it was featured in a 60 Minutes segment on CBS and also became a 5-page cover story in Newsweek.

Grammy Nominated Record Album

Illustrating his diverse set of skills, Kirsch co-produced a record album titled "The Missing White House Tapes," in 1974. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award under the category of Best Comedy Recording of the year.