Crossword Genius

Identify personal problem offering hopeful treatment (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

placebo

'hopeful treatment' is the definition.
(treatment which may have a placebo effect)

'identify personal problem' is the wordplay.
'identify' becomes 'place' (synonyms).
'personal problem' becomes 'bo' (informal abbreviation for body odour).
'place'+'bo'='PLACEBO'

'offering' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for placebo that I've seen before include "False medication, psychologically applied" , "Prescription to soothe" , "harmless drug" , "Spoof medicine" , "innocuous dose" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.