Effects of referral to a specialist for headache

Patients consulting neurological outpatient clinics for headaches that were found not to be due to a serious structural lesion were followed up one year afterwards. Considerable improvement in symptoms was found in the sample. This was only partly attributable to any medical treatment received at the clinics or subsequently from a general practitioner. Improvement was associated with previously expressed satisfaction with the clinic consultation, and a nonspecific `placebo' response is postulated.