Picariello, Chalder et al: "It feels sometimes like my house has burnt down,[...]"

[Valentijn]

... were the participants recruited for the study unaware that they were signing up for a MAD version (Mock and Dismiss) of CBT?

They were randomized, so no one signed up for anything. One later critic did mention that she said she wanted to be in the CBT arm and she got it, but that could be coincidence. There was no description of CBT in the consent form, just the name given as one of the treatments.

But once they were randomized, they would have gotten the CBT manual for participants. If they bothered to read all 127 pages of it, it'd be clear that it's illness-denial CBT.

 

[antherder]

Thanks for clarifying that, @Valentijn.