Clinical Research Directory

The Oh Happy Day Class - Digital Connections (OHDC-DC): A Pilot Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a mobile phone app can deliver depression treatment to African Americans who are depressed. The main question it aims to answer is if this treatment is effective in reducing symptoms of depression. Participants will attend six 90-minute weekly classes via an app on their phone, and will be asked to complete surveys every week. Participants can expect to be in the study for four months.

JAK Signaling in Depression and Cognition in Male Football Players

This study is being done to learn more about the role of inflammation in depressive and cognitive symptoms in patients with depression who have played at least 10 years of organized football. This will be evaluated using a medication called baricitinib that blocks one aspect of inflammation.

Mobile CBT for Middle Aged and Older Adults

This study aims to assess a mobile app called MAYA for use in middle-aged and older adults with anxiety or mood disorders. The MAYA app is designed to teach coping skills for anxiety and depression that are drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy. Participants will be asked to use the app for at least two days a week, 20 minutes on each day, for six weeks. Participants will have weekly check-ins as well as longer assessments at the beginning of the study, week 3, week 6 (end of treatment), and week 12 (follow up). During assessments, participants will answer brief questionnaires designed to assess their symptoms and impressions of the app. The main hypotheses of the study are that participants will complete most of the assigned sessions and that they will rate their impressions of the app highly. The secondary hypotheses are that symptoms of depression and anxiety will decrease with use of the MAYA app.

IMPACT (IMproving Proactive Approaches for Cancer Survivors' Mental Health Treatment)

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate a mobile application (app) for depression treatment called "Moodivate" among cancer survivors. Moodivate was developed by our research team to assist with the treatment of depressed mood. Participants will be randomly assigned to either download the mobile app, "Moodivate", or not. Approximately 2/3 of participants enrolled will receive the mobile app and the remaining 1/3 will not. All participants will complete electronic questionnaire measures throughout the study period. Questionnaires will assess symptoms of depression, as well as your experiences using Moodivate and participating in this trial. Participation in this study will take about 12 weeks, beginning today. Participation in this study may help in the treatment of future cancer survivors. The greatest risks of this study include frustration, worsening of emotional distress, data breach, and/or loss of confidentiality. Alternative treatments include contacting your primary care provider or your oncology care team to discuss other available treatments for depressed mood.

A Systems-Level Intervention for Rural Adults With Depression

This study aims to test the effectiveness of a computer-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy for depression among rural adults. The intervention, called Raising Our Spirits Together (ROST), was developed via a community-based participatory approach and will be delivered in small groups, facilitated by local pastors. Groups will be held virtually, or in-person at two churches in rural Michigan. Eighty-four individuals will be recruited from Hillsdale, Michigan, to test the effect of ROST on depressive symptoms, compared to an Enhanced Control Condition (ECC).

Caregiver Stress and Sleep Study

The purpose of this research study is to better understand how stress, sleep and activity might impact caregivers' mood and brain health. This study includes a randomized experimental component where therapists will systematically deliver one of two evidence-based talk-therapy treatments. The aim is to evaluate effects on meaningful health-relevant measures including morning activation levels, depression symptoms, rumination, and aspects brain connectivity previously linked with depression. Participants will complete surveys about their caregiving experiences, health, and mood, undergo an MRI, and wear an actigraphy watch that measures activity levels throughout the day and when sleeping.

Disentangling Pharmacological and Expectation Effects in Antidepressant Discontinuation

Antidepressant medication is established as an evidence-based, guideline-recommended treatment for Major Depressive Disorders. In the past decades, prescriptions of antidepressant medication have markedly increased, with a specific surge in maintenance prescriptions and therefore, long-term intake, despite guideline recommendations to discontinue antidepressant medication after maintenance therapy has been completed. Over half of fully remitted patients who attempt to discontinue their antidepressant medication report adverse discontinuation symptoms. For many patients, discontinuation symptoms are so severe, that they do not manage to complete their discontinuation attempt. While discontinuation symptoms, deterioration of depressive symptoms, and recurrence can result from pharmacological effects of antidepressant discontinuation, patients' expectations towards discontinuation are likely to play an essential role in occurrence, too. The aim of the present study is to explore the interplay of expectations and pharmacological effects in antidepressant discontinuation. Participants who fulfill German national S3 guideline recommendations will receive a 1:1 chance to either discontinue their antidepressant medication or remain on their antidepressant medication. In addition, participants' expectations are intended to be manipulated by varying verbal instructions using the open-hidden paradigm. Within the open trial arms, participants will receive full information about their treatment (i.e., high expectation). Within the hidden trial arms, participants will be informed about a 50% chance of discontinuing versus remaining on their antidepressant medication (i.e., moderate expectation). Participants will have a 1:1:1:1 chance of being allocated to 1 of the 4 experimental groups: open discontinuation (OD), hidden discontinuation (HD), open continuation (OC), or hidden continuation (HC) of their antidepressant medication. This preregistration is part of the collaborative research center (CRC) SFB/TRR289 which aims to characterize the psychological and neurobiological effects of treatment expectations on health outcome (https://treatment-expectation.de) and is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Women's Health Initiative Strong and Healthy Study

The WHISH trial applies state-of-the science behavioral principles and currently available technologies to deliver a physical activity intervention without face-to-face contact to \~25,000 older U.S. women expected to consent. It includes the National Institute of Aging (NIA) Go4Life® Exercise \& Physical Activity materials 3 and WHISH developed targeted materials based on Go4Life® to provide inspirational tips and recommendations about how to achieve nationally recommended levels of PA and overcome barriers to exercise, with a means for self-monitoring and setting personal goals. The intervention builds upon evidence-based behavioral science principles and intervention components that have proven to be effective in increasing PA in older women, with innovative adaptive approaches to tailoring the delivery to meet individual (personal) needs.

Task-Shifting Adapted IPT-A for Youth Suicide Prevention

The goal of this randomized pragmatic clinical trial is to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and mechanisms of change of a brief adaptation of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (BIPT-A), adapted and task-shifted to lay providers (mentors, youth trusted adults) in youth community centers (YCCs) as an upstream approach to suicide. It focuses on Hispanic adolescents ages 12-17 enrolled in these YCCs. The pragmatic clinical trial will evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of adapted IPT-A delivered by mentors in YCCs and whether adapted BIPT-A impacts mechanisms of change (depressive symptoms, belongingness, and burdensomeness or feeling like a burden to others). The main questions to answer are: * Is adapted BIPT-A, when delivered by trained lay providers (youth mentors), feasible and acceptable in youth community centers? * Does adapted BIPT-A, delivered by lay providers, change key risk factors (i.e., key mechanisms: depressive symptoms, low belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness) associated with suicide ideation? The investigators will compare adolescents randomized to adapted BIPT-A (6 sessions) delivered by a trained youth mentor with those receiving usual services at the community center (one individual session focused on active listening). Participants will: 1. Be screened for subthreshold depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire Adolescent version (PHQ-A). Adolescent participants will be included if they score between 4 and 9 (mild depression). Participants with a PHQ-A score of 10 or higher (severe depression) will not be eligible and will be referred to a licensed mental health provider for appropriate care. 2. Be randomized to adapted BIPT-A or usual care. Adolescent participants in the intervention arm will participate in 6 weekly, adapted BIPT-A sessions with a trained youth mentor. Intervention focuses on education, affect identification, and interpersonal skills.

Strength and Pain-Coping Through Resilience and Knowledge

Older adults who are 50 years of age and older with depressive symptoms, pain and difficulty with mobility will participate in the SPARK intervention study that includes 8 nurse visits in participants' homes to help participants with participants' pain and mood.

Depression and Suicide Prevention in Adolescents Attending Special Schools

Depression is a major public health concern. In Dutch adolescents, the prevalence of major depressive disorder is estimated at 3.8%, and one in five adolescents report depressive symptoms. Depression is a risk factor in adolescent suicide. School-based prevention programs, for example the STORM approach, are effective in decreasing depressive symptoms among adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms at screening. However, not all adolescents attend general education. In the Netherlands, 7% of all adolescents enters special education (voortgezet speciaal onderwijs and prakijkonderwijs). They form a vulnerable subgroup concerning developing depressive symptoms and suicidality. To adapt and implement programs for these students, is complex yet crucial. This study aims to screen adolescents, offer them a prevention program to prevent the onset or continuation of depression and evaluate the effectiveness of this program. It is a randomised controlled trial with two conditions. The main study parameter is depressive symptomatology. Secondary study parameters are suicidality, anxiety and somatic complaints. Eligible students enter the second or third grade of special education, presenting elevated depressive symptoms. All adolescents will be screened for depressive and suicidal symptoms. Those reporting suicidality will be guided to specialised care, together with their parents. Adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms in the experimental condition will be offered the CBT-based preventive group training Op Volle Kracht in their school setting. The control condition consists of monitoring, and is offered the training if the intervention has shown to be effective. Participants will fill in longitudinal measurements. At all times, adolescents will be guided to mental health care if necessary. Furthermore, teachers in all participating schools will attend a training on how to detect and address depressive and suicidal symptoms among adolescents. The potential value of the study is that we can offer adolescents in the special educational sector a prevention program that is proven to be effective. In order to achieve this goal we need to evaluate the effectiveness of this prevention program in this target group. We are of opinion, however, that the risks associated with participation can be considered negligible. It is specifically aimed at depressive symptoms, within a population which receives care for other problems.

Mindfulness Engaged Neurostimulation for Depression (MEND II)

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an FDA-approved therapy for treatment resistant depression (TRD) that involves brief magnetic stimulation pulses on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) brain region. But studies of rTMS alone show remission rates of \~30%. Additionally, rTMS has not been shown to improve cognitive functioning that may be an independent factor predicting treatment success. This study will develop a novel multimodal treatment, which combines intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) - a type of rTMS with digital mindfulness training to engage brain plasticity, enhance cognition and alleviate depression symptoms in individuals with TRD.

Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic Disease Trends in Puerto Rico

The overall goal is to identify trends and longitudinal associations in psychosocial, food-related, and cardiometabolic risk factors that can guide public health priorities and future research needs aimed at reducing cardiovascular-related disparities in Puerto Rico. To this end, investigators will establish 'PROSPECT: Puerto Rico Observational Study of Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic disease Trends', an island-wide, longitudinal population cohort of 2,500 adults (30-75 years) in PR recruited with a community-wide sampling strategy, and assessed in a network of several partner clinics across the island. The study will collect comprehensive data on multiple psychosocial, dietary, and food-related factors, CVD biological markers, and medical record data, with follow-up at 2-years, and will assess variations by urban-rural area and by timing before-after Maria.

Benefits of Outdoor Walks in Reducing Depressive Symptoms

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether outdoor walking in different environments-urban or natural-can reduce depressive symptoms among college students. The study also tests whether providing prompts for active engagement during nature walks enhances the benefits compared to unstructured nature walks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) urban walk, (2) nature walk, or (3) active nature walk with guided interaction. Each participant will walk for 30 minutes, twice a week, for 3 weeks, complete questionnaires, and participate in interviews. Our primary outcome (PHQ-9) will be used to test the following two primary hypotheses: * Hypothesis 1: Participants in both nature walk conditions (combined) will show greater reductions in depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) than those in the urban walk group. * Hypothesis 2: Participants in the active nature walk will show greater reductions than those in the regular nature walk.

Transdiagnostic, Indicated Preventive Intervention for Adolescents At High Risk of Emotional Problems W/Add-On Modules

PROCARE is a preventive intervention that has shown its effectiveness in selective prevention to reduce young people's risk of developing emotional problems. In this study, an uncontrolled pre-post study is carried out where this personalized transdiagnostic preventive intervention in online mode is applied in the indicated population, with the following objectives: 1) provide data about whether there are improvements in the emotional state of adolescents after implementing PROCARE-I+; and 2) evaluate if there is any risk factor that predicts anxiety-depressive symptoms and/or emotional difficulties. The sample was made up of 30 adolescents who showed symptoms of anxiety and/or depression and a high risk of developing an emotional disorder and who benefited from the preventive, transdiagnostic, online and personalized intervention called PROCARE-I+. After the analysis of the data collected at the pre-intervention and post-intervention time, the data revealed that the intervention had an impact on improving the emotional state of the adolescents in terms of anxious-depressive symptomatology, quality of life and emotional regulation. On the other hand, the data revealed the absence of predictive relationships between the presence of a risk factor and suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression; In contrast, predictive relationships were found between the presence of the family risk factor and suffering from some emotional difficulty.

Cluster RCT of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Support Caregivers of Older Adults in Hong Kong

The goal of this cluster randomized controlled trial study is to compare the effectiveness of a novel psychosocial intervention based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, lifestyle intervention and effective communication skills in caregivers of older adults in Hong Kong. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: What is the impact of the 6-week psychosocial intervention on distress and burden among participants? Participants will participate in a 6-week psychosocial intervention. Researchers will compare the results between the intervention group and the active control group to see if participants in the intervention group have lower distress and burden.

Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network

The objective of this study is to build the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network to support the development of a Network Participant Registry and characterization of systems and interventions to examine statewide population health outcomes. All 12-13 sites represented in the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (https://www.utsystem.edu/pophealth/tcmhcc/) have been invited to participate in the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network as "Nodes." 12 Nodes have been selected for this project. Each Node has obtained support of senior institutional leadership including the department chair. Leadership from each Node provided input and edits in the study design process by committee, with a focus on the inclusion of the "end user" in design decisions. Nodes will work closely with the Network Hub leadership to recruit, monitor, and retain participants. This will require active engagement and sustained relationships with clinics within the academic medical center as well as clinics in the community (i.e., psychiatry, psychology, counselling).

Activating Social Resources in Psychotherapy-Seeking Individuals: Effectiveness and Timing of a Social Support Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention

This study evaluates a Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) aiming to foster social support processes for adults with elevated depressive symptoms awaiting outpatient psychotherapy. Utilizing a daily-level micro-randomized trial (MRT) design conducted over 21 days, participants are assessed six times daily. Participants are randomized across four conditions: (1) vulnerability-triggered, (2) vulnerability and receptivity-triggered, (3) support-need-triggered, and (4) a no-intervention control. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the JITAI in reducing daily depressive symptoms and increasing received social support (primary outcomes), as well as reducing daily loneliness and enhancing perceived social support (secondary outcomes). Furthermore, the study aims to compare the relative efficacy of three distinct triggering strategies to identify the most effective timing for intervention delivery.

Project COPE-Spain (Coping Options for Parent Empowerment)

The goal of this study trial is to establish the preliminary clinical utility of the COPE program (Coping Options for Parent Empowerment) adapted for caregivers of adolescents in the Spanish context. This program aims to improve parents' emotional well-being, enhance their parenting skills, and promote positive changes in their childrens' emotional and behavioral well-being. This study will adapt the COPE program for in-person group administration in the Spanish context, specifically in the school setting.

rTMS for Military TBI-related Depression

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of two dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocols to alleviate symptoms of depression in United States (U.S.) military service members and veterans with a history of concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Natural History of Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Suicide Risk

Mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, are difficult to treat. One reason is that there are no objective ways to measure how these disorders affect the body and respond to different treatments. In this study, researchers want to perform tests on people undergoing clinical care for mood disorders. The purpose is to understand the experience of receiving treatment for depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide risk. We also hope that this study will help us to predict which medications will improve thoughts of suicide. People 18 years or older who are receiving treatment for depression, bipolar disorder, or suicide risk may take part in this study. Participants must have also been enrolled in protocol 01-M-0254. This study will be conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. The study typically lasts up to 12 weeks, but may last longer if a participant s treatment continues past that time. Participants will have weekly interviews and questionnaires while they are being treated for their mood disorder. Other tests are optional and include psychological testing, blood draws, sleep tests, and imaging scans. These will be done at the start and the end of research participation.

MindfulCityU-- A Mindfulness Mobile Application for Promoting University Students' Mental Health

The research aims to investigate the effectiveness a mobile phone application-based (app-based) mindfulness interventions for university students with mild depressive symptoms. This study adopts a multicentre randomized control trial two arms research design. A randomised controlled trial will compare a newly designed mobile phone application-based (app-based) mindfulness interventions, named MindfulCityU, with a waitlist control group to determine whether the MindfulCityU produces better intervention outcomes on promoting mental health for university students, including depressive symptoms, mindfulness, and wellbeing. The MindfulCityU provides 8 online modules on mindfulness for participants to access and learn at home through their smartphones and/or computer. Participants of waitlist control group participants receive no active intervention at the initial stage and receive the same MindfulCityU at a later stage. Participants will complete online standardized assessment tools on their intervention outcomes before and after the intervention and 2-months follow-up. The ethical considerations of this study were reviewed and approved by the Human and Artefacts Ethics Sub-Committee of the City University of Hong Kong in 2025.

Treatment for Migraine and Mood

The researchers propose a three-arm pilot study of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) delivered via telephone (MBCT-T), video (MBCT-V) or Enhanced Usual Care (EUC).

My Wellbeing Guide: A Novel Tool for Managing Stress and Improving Quality of Life

The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the psychosocial eHealth intervention, My Wellbeing Guide, on the proposed primary outcome, depressive symptoms, in patients diagnosed with cancer who receive care at Northwestern Medicine and the University of Miami Health System. Eligible patients will be directly contacted by the study team for recruitment. The intervention includes cognitive behavioral therapy management strategies for health-related stress in the form of animated videos, interactive activities, and written content. The intervention will be delivered via an online application over an 7-week period. Intervention participants will also complete four assessments: baseline (at the beginning of the research study), post-intervention (7 weeks after baseline), a 6-month follow-up, and a 12-month follow up. Participants are randomized into either an intervention application (described above) or a control application (which will provide links to helpful resources for patients with cancer, such as the contact information for cancer support services at Northwestern University and the University of Miami, and the link to the National Cancer Institute website, and the American Cancer Society website.) Control participants will also complete four assessments: baseline (at the beginning of the research study), post-intervention (7 weeks after baseline), a 6-month follow-up, and a 12-month follow up.