Can a short talk therapy boost TB recovery?
NCT ID NCT05091580
First seen Aug 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether adding a brief form of counseling for depression to standard tuberculosis (TB) treatment can improve outcomes for both conditions. Adults starting TB treatment in South Africa will receive either usual care or additional interpersonal counseling, a short therapy that helps people address life stressors linked to depressive symptoms. The study will measure TB treatment success and depression remission, and also assess the cost-effectiveness of this integrated approach. Findings could inform guidelines for managing TB and depression together in low- and middle-income countries.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Interpersonal Counseling, a brief psychological intervention delivered in 4-5 sessions
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this approach could improve both depression and TB treatment outcomes, informing integrated care policies in low- and middle-income countries.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is early-stage and results may not generalize beyond this setting. The counseling is brief and may not be sufficient for all patients with depression.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years or over * initiating treatment for TB * ability to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * unable or unwilling to provide informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Desmond Tutu Health Foundation
Cape Town, South Africa
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- Role of self-focused attention in depression
- Project QUIT+: adapting and testing a smoking cessation intervention for transgender and gender expansive individuals
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