Anxiety & Depression Association of America

The purpose of this study is to understand how a psychotropic medication called guanfacine affects brain network functioning in humans, and how this function interacts with cognitive impairments in people experiencing depressive symptoms.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

The goal of this observational study is to identify targetable neural substrates of depression in Parkinson's Disease for the first time in people with Parkinson's between the ages of 40 and 80, who are experiencing symptoms of depression.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to test if a culturally sensitive mobile health application (Relax, Reflect, Empower-RRE) is feasible and effective in promoting psychological wellbeing and reducing depressive symptoms among Chinese American adolescents (CAA). We will conduct a pilot study of a community sample of 110 CAAs, ages 14-18. We will use adaptive randomization to assign 55 participants to the RRE intervention for 5 days/week for 3 months and 55 to the control group who will receive a wellness check-in text message 5 days/week for 3 months. The main aims/research questions are, 1) To evaluate feasibility and acceptability of RRE. Assessments include both subjective (CAAs' perceptions of feasibility and acceptability of RRE through Mobile Application Rating Scale and open-ended questions) and objective (CAAs' frequency and duration of RRE access automatically recorded) measures. Our hypothesis is that participants in the RRE group will find RRE feasible and acceptable. 2) To investigate CAAs' changes in depressive symptoms, coping self-efficacy, and psychological wellbeing. We will compare if these changes differ in the RRE group and control group. Participants in both RRE and control groups will complete measures of outcomes (depression, coping self-efficacy, psychological wellbeing) and influencing factors (acculturative stress, experiences of discrimination, life events) at three time points: baseline, the end of the preventive intervention (the12th week), and one-month after the intervention (the16th week). Our hypothesis is that CAAs in the RRE group will exhibit lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of coping self-efficacy and psychological well-being in Weeks 12 and 16 than the baseline. Additionally, CAAs in the RRE group will exhibit greater improvement than the control group in the outcome measures from baseline to Weeks 12 and 16.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

The objective of this research is to assess the effects of engaging in coloring activities on patients' self-reported pain and anxiety scores while they wait to be seen by a physician in an emergency department (ED). The current literature on patient visits in the ED highlights the significance of anxiety, stress, and frustration in patient experiences, especially when accounting for long wait times before the physician-patient encounter. The study will address this common problem by looking at the potential impact of nature-themed or geometric shape coloring activities on the ED patient experience as it relates to self-reported anxiety and pain scores. Given that long wait times are increasingly being reported across the country, this study may offer a possible meaningful low-budget, low-resource intervention which could be offered to patients.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2023

open study

The overall objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of identifying transdiagnostic biomarkers of cognitive function mediated by neuromodulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that are translatable across disease groups in order to more accurately phenotype clusters of cognitive dysfunction. Completing behavioral paradigms with electrophysiology and TMS is a challenging frontier. This study focuses on the feasibility of such an endeavor for those with chronic pain or depression as well as healthy controls.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2022

open study

This is a study to find out if a device that temporarily alters brain activity (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rTMS) might be used to change how people with anxiety or related concerns cope with feared or anxiety-producing situations. The study is recruiting people who recently started treatment for anxiety or a related concern. The study involves 3 visits to the Medical University of South Carolina. At the first visit, participants do interviews and surveys asking about anxiety and related concerns, and they also do tasks where they see and react to emotional pictures while their brain activation is measured. At the next two visits, participants receive rTMS, which works by rapidly turning a focused magnetic field on and off repeatedly over the head in a way that passes directly through the hair, scalp, and skull and onto the brain and can temporarily increase brain activity under the magnetic field. After rTMS, participants do two tasks where they see and react to emotional situations while wearing sensors on their hand, arms, face, and head. Each visit in this study is expected to last between 2 - 4 hours. This is not a treatment study, but the study is being conducted with the hope that it will help improve treatment in the future.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

Bipolar disorder is a severe chronic mood disorder that affects up to 4% of the adult population and 1.8% of the pediatric population in the United States. The treatment of the depressive episodes of bipolar disorder in the pediatric population has not been as widely studied as the treatment of depressive episodes in bipolar disorder in adults, therefore pharmacotherapeutic options are limited. Given the change in disease state and safety demonstrated in adults with depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in disease state and safety of cariprazine in the treatment of depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in the pediatric population. Cariprazine is an approved drug for the treatment of depressive episodes in adult participants with bipolar I disorder. Study doctors put participants in 1 of 2 groups, called treatment arms. There is a 1 in 2 chance that a participant will be assigned to placebo. Around 380 Participants ages 10-17 years with bipolar I disorder will be enrolled in approximately 60 sites worldwide. Participants receiving the study drug will receive Dose A or B of Cariprazine based on age and weight. At Week 3, participants with insufficient response will have their dose increased to Dose B or Dose C, while participants with sufficient response will continue receiving the Dose A or B for the remainder of the treatment period. The treatment period will be followed by a safety follow-up (SFU) period for 4 weeks. There may be higher treatment burden for participants in this trial compared to their standard of care. Participants will attend regular weekly visits during the study at a hospital or clinic. The effect of the treatment will be checked by medical assessments, blood tests, checking for side effects and completing questionnaires.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2021

open study

University of California, Los Angeles researchers will recruit healthy participants and anxious participants (those diagnosed with social anxiety disorder) age 18-55 years old to participate in a study examining whether the ability of social support figure reminders to prevent the acquisition of fear in healthy participants extends to those with anxiety disorders. After being recruited from the UCLA community (healthy participants, n = 50) or referred by treatment providers at the Anxiety and Depression Research Center at UCLA (anxious participants, n =50) and undergoing a telephone screening and in-person screening, 100 participants will be enrolled in the study. During the experiment, all participants will undergo the same procedures: undergoing fear acquisition procedures--the repeated pairing of a neutral image with a mild electric shock that ultimately leads to the association of threat of shock with the image--in the presence of an image of a social support figure (provided by participants) and an image of a smiling stranger.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2022

open study

Depression is more common after a spinal cord injury (SCI) than in the general population. Unfortunately, it is unknown how depression is typically treated in individuals with SCI or if commonly used treatment methods are effective. This study will investigate the safety and impact of a novel method for treating depression called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). rTMS is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation. Fourteen individuals with a cervical or thoracic level SCI and depression will complete an approved treatment plan using rTMS. Participants will be treated using rTMS five days a week for four weeks. After four weeks of treatment, the study team will review the safety of rTMS and assess changes in depressive symptoms. If the results are positive, larger studies can be designed to develop better treatment options for individuals with SCI and depression.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2026

open study

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) tailored to meet the needs of adults living with cystic fibrosis (ACT with CF) is a newer form of talk therapy that has been shown to reduce anxiety & depression and improve psychological flexibility, and value-based living. The investigators are now trying to find out whether a self-help version of this treatment (ACT with CF - Self Help Toolkit) is also effective in reducing anxiety and depression and improving psychological flexibility and value-based living in adults with CF. Adults with cystic fibrosis are at increased risk for anxiety and depression. This study examines whether a patient-facing therapy, ACT with CF - Self Help Toolkit can help to reduce anxiety and depression among adults with CF. This treatment can be accessed on the participant's smartphone.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2026

open study

The study aims to verify if the Gaize ocular device can effectively identify eye movements indicative of prescribed psychotropic medication usage by employing Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) testing protocols within a controlled virtual environment.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

The overall purpose of this study is to help determine how best to incorporate small amounts of human and digital support into a meditation app. The meditation app used is the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) which provides training in four pillars of well-being (Awareness, Connection, Insight, Purpose) through a combination of podcast-style didactic material and guided meditation practices.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

The goal of this study is to improve depression treatment by establishing reliable prefrontal excitability markers through Targeting with Automated Real-time Guidance for Enhancing TEPs (TARGET).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2025

open study

The primary aims of this study are to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and tolerability of using an immersive virtual reality (VR) headset to engage in behavioral activation (BA) for older adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The secondary aim of this study is to explore the efficacy of using VR to enhance BA therapy in a clinical MDD older adult population.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

Research shows that sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) experience high rates of mental health problems and other challenges (e.g., social, academic). A major factor that leads to these challenges is family rejection (family behaviors and reactions that minimize, deny, ridicule and attempt to prevent or change a child's sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression). Racial and ethnic minority youth experience the highest rates of family rejection and related health risks. The Family Acceptance Project (FAP) is a research, education, and intervention initiative that was founded more than 20 years ago to help diverse families learn to support and affirm their SGMY. FAP's Family Support Model is grounded in the lived experiences of diverse SGMY and families and uses a culture-based family support framework that enables parents and caregivers to change rejecting behaviors that FAP's research has shown contribute to health risks and increase supportive and accepting behaviors that promote well-being for SGMY. The overall goal of this research project is to evaluate a nine-week online version of FAP's Family Support Model (FAP-O). The investigators will specifically study how FAP-O: 1. Promotes parent/caregiver acceptance and support of their sexual and gender minority youth. 2. Increases family bonding and communication. 3. Increases SGMYs' feelings of pride in being LGBTQ+ and more hopeful about the future. 4. Leads to reductions in mental health problems reported by SGMY who experience family rejection. Before receiving FAP-O's family support services, racial and ethnic minority SGMY (ages 14 to 25) and their caregivers will complete an initial pre-test survey. After completing this initial (baseline) survey, half of the families will participate in program sessions. Following the first round of sessions, all participants will complete an immediate follow-up survey, with an additional survey conducted six months after this. These surveys help us learn if FAP-O impacts the project's goals above. After the final survey, the other half of the families will attend program sessions. The investigators will also ask SGMY and caregivers to share what they liked about the program and their guidance for enhancing it.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study

Chronic musculoskeletal pain has a highly negative impact on Veterans, especially those with serious mental illness (SMI). Chronic musculoskeletal pain leads to poorer mental and physical health-related functioning, representing a critical obstacle to rehabilitation and recovery for SMI Veterans. Despite known high prevalence rates of chronic pain in SMI populations, there is little research to evaluate nonpharmacological pain management strategies in this population. This study aims to address this research and clinical gap by testing the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) - a VA evidence-based psychotherapy for chronic pain - in Veterans with SMI and chronic low back pain. The study will primarily evaluate the impact of CBT-CP on pain-related functioning, quality of life, and pain severity. This study will also examine relationships between pain and mental health symptoms, and how these relationships may change with CBT-CP completion.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2026

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness and implementation of delivering Enhanced Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-B), an evidence-based maternal depression treatment, to mothers of children under the age of 18 in an urban pediatric asthma clinic. Researchers will compare Enhanced IPT-B and supplemented usual care (brief care coordination). The main questions the trial aims to answer are: 1. Does Enhanced IPT-B decrease maternal depressive symptoms? 2. Does Enhanced IPT-B improve child asthma management and health outcomes (exacerbations, symptoms, control)? 3. What are the preliminary implementation outcomes of delivering Enhanced IPT-B in an urban pediatric asthma clinic?

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2024

open study

This study plans to learn more about the use of one of two self-guided online cognitive behavioral therapy courses. One is focused on symptoms of depression and one is focused on history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

The goal of this research study is to adapt an ACT-self-help workbook to the prison setting and determine the feasibility acceptability, and effectiveness of this workbook. Participants can expect to be in the study for 13 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2024

open study

This observational study is being conducted to determine plasma concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites, 11-OH-THC and THC-COOH, in plasma of pediatric patients who visit the emergency department due to acute cannabis-induced CNS depression.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jun 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical decision-making algorithms for (a) triaging to level of care and (b) adapting level of care in a low income, highly diverse sample of community college students at East Los Angeles College (ELAC). The target enrollment is 200 participants per year, for five years (N=1000). Participants are between the ages of 18 and 40 years and will be randomized into either symptom severity decision-making (SSD) or data-driven decision-making (DDD). Participants in each condition will be triaged to one of three levels of care, including self-guided online prevention, coach-guided online cognitive behavioral therapy, and clinician-delivered care. After initial triaging, level of care will be adapted throughout the entire time of the study enrollment. Participants will complete computerized assessments and self-report questionnaires as part of the study. The total length of participation is 40 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2022

open study

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to understand how a cognitive-behavioral treatment (a form of psychological treatment) for depression changes the gut microbiome (micro-organisms that regulate the health of the gut), immune system, and the brain functioning in people living with HIV.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2022

open study

This study will investigate whether cannabidiol (CBD), the primary centrally and peripherally active non-intoxicating compound in the cannabis plant, exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) with or without mild-to-moderate depression.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2022

open study

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for depression. The investigators are continuing to learn how to optimize outcomes from rTMS treatment. The purpose of this research project is to use brain network connectivity patterns as measured by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to confirm a way to optimize the use of rTMS to treat depression. In addition, the study aims to gain a better understanding of how rTMS influences brain networks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2021

open study

The investigators want to test a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) especially designed for military veterans and service members with mild or moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and PTSD. The treatment will include individual psychotherapy sessions to manage PTSD.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study