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Behavioural Intervention

Adaptive Messaging for Depression

N/A
Waitlist Available
Research Sponsored by Northwestern University
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
At least moderate depressive symptom severity (a score of 10 or higher on the PHQ-8)
18+ years of age
Must not have
Psychiatric medication dose change in the past 4 weeks, or has plans to change the dose of a psychiatric medication
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up assessments will be completed at baseline, week 4, week 8, week 20 (3 month follow-up) and week 32 (6 month follow-up).
Awards & highlights

Summary

This trial is testing the effectiveness of an 8-week text messaging program to help manage depression. 100 people with depression symptoms will be divided into three groups: one group will receive adaptive text messages,

Who is the study for?
This trial is for individuals experiencing elevated symptoms of depression. Participants will be recruited digitally and must be willing to engage with text messaging interventions over an 8-week period, followed by a 6-month post-treatment follow-up.
What is being tested?
The study tests three approaches: adaptive text messaging that evolves based on user engagement, non-adaptive random messaging, and a control group receiving psychoeducation links. The goal is to see which method best supports depression self-management.
What are the potential side effects?
Since this trial involves text-based interventions without medication, side effects are minimal but may include discomfort or emotional distress from engaging with content related to personal mental health issues.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
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I have moderate to severe depression symptoms.
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I am 18 years old or older.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:
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My psychiatric medication dose has been stable for the last 4 weeks.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~assessments will be completed at baseline, week 4, week 8, week 20 (3 month follow-up) and week 32 (6 month follow-up).
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and assessments will be completed at baseline, week 4, week 8, week 20 (3 month follow-up) and week 32 (6 month follow-up). for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Secondary outcome measures
Depressive Symptom Index-Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7)

Trial Design

3Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Non-Adaptive Messaging InterventionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The intervention involves 8 weeks of daily text messaging. Messages will arrive throughout the day via SMS to prompt learning and applying cognitive and behavioral self-management strategies, representing a variety of self-management strategies and message tones. Daily messaging styles will be randomly selected.
Group II: Adaptive Messaging InterventionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The intervention involves 8 weeks of daily text messaging. Messages will arrive throughout the day via SMS to prompt learning and applying cognitive and behavioral self-management strategies, representing a variety of self-management strategies and message tones. The intervention will apply reinforcement learning to select daily messaging styles to maximize user engagement.
Group III: Psychoeducation-only controlActive Control1 Intervention
The 8-week intervention involves receiving several text messages per week that include weblinks to access psychoeducation information about cognitive and behavioral self-management strategies.

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Who is running the clinical trial?

Northwestern UniversityLead Sponsor
1,608 Previous Clinical Trials
927,217 Total Patients Enrolled
67 Trials studying Depression
27,896 Patients Enrolled for Depression
~67 spots leftby Aug 2025
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