Can peer coaches help beat depression and addiction?
NCT ID NCT07219394
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether peer recovery specialists—people who have themselves recovered from mental health or substance use problems—can effectively deliver a therapy called behavioral activation to reduce depression and substance use. The trial will enroll 250 low-income adults with depression and substance use disorder, comparing the peer-delivered therapy to standard peer support. Participants will be followed for 12 months to see if their depression symptoms improve.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Peer Activate (behavioral activation therapy delivered by peer recovery specialists)
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this could provide a scalable, low-cost way to treat depression in people with substance use disorder, especially in underserved communities.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage effectiveness trial with no blinding, so results may be influenced by participant expectations. The intervention is behavioral, not a drug, so effects may be modest.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Detroit Recovery Project
RECRUITINGDetroit, Michigan, 48208, United States
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