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Video games and medication join forces to help people with mental illness quit smoking

NCT ID NCT03950427

Disease control Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 17, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026

Summary

This study tests a smoking cessation program designed for adults with serious mental illness. Participants receive a combination of videogame-based physical activity, smoking cessation counseling, and the medication bupropion. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible and acceptable, and whether it helps reduce or stop smoking.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
bupropion, videogame-based physical activity, and counseling
What this could lead to
If successful, this program could offer an effective, engaging way to help people with serious mental illness quit smoking, improving their physical health.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early feasibility study, so results may not apply broadly. The combination approach may not work better than standard methods, and bupropion has side effects.

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

Phase 4

Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.

Participants

108 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2019

Finished

Jul 2025

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * A diagnosis of a Serious Mental Illness (SMI)\* * 18 years and older * Smoking at least five cigarettes per day for the past 6 months * Willingness to set a quit date * Not currently taking bupropion or using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) * Current participant in the residential or day treatment program at a Progress Foundation program with the intention to continue in the residential or day treatment program for at least the 12 week intervention period * Capacity to consent. * SMI is characterized by the American Psychological Association as distinct conditions that require routine management, produce functional impairment, and interfere with quality of life. Individuals that typically meet the criteria of SMI have illnesses that include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic disorders, major depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and borderline personality disorder. Exclusion Criteria: * Currently pregnant or breastfeeding * Diagnosis of seizure disorder, history of anorexia/bulimia, undergoing abrupt discontinuation of ethanol or sedatives, other conditions that increase seizure risk (e.g., arteriovenous malformation (AVM), severe head injury, central nervous system (CNS) tumor) * use of Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (concurrently or within 14 days of discontinuing either bupropion or the MAO inhibitor) * Planning to become pregnant during the study period * Previous participation in the videogame-based physical activity intervention. * Known medical conditions or other physical problems that need special attention in an exercise program (e.g. prior myocardial infarction, uncontrolled hypertension, history of angioplasty, history of angina, use of nitroglycerin to treat angina)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

nicotine dependence psychiatric disorder Smoking Cessation Tobacco Smoking

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Mental illness Smoking cessation Smoking, tobacco Tobacco use disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of California, San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94143-0610, United States

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