Could daily mood tracking make therapy more effective?
NCT ID NCT07704138
First seen Jul 15, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a new type of talk therapy called Process Based Therapy (PBT) for people with depression or anxiety. Instead of a one-size-fits-all plan, PBT uses daily mood check-ins from a smartphone app to help therapists tailor treatment to each person's changing needs. The trial compares PBT to standard therapy and also looks at how therapists make decisions when they have this extra information.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a personalized psychotherapy approach called Process Based Therapy that uses daily mood tracking to guide treatment
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that tailoring therapy to a person's daily emotional patterns leads to better mental health outcomes than standard talk therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage study with only 60 patients, so results may not apply broadly. The approach is complex and may not be practical for all therapists.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2029
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 to 65 years
- 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: * A primary ICD-11 diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder * Age 18-65 years * Sufficient knowledge of the German language * Participating patients are not required to discontinue medication, but to keep medication constant over the treatment period Exclusion Criteria: * Increased suicidality * Substance abuse or dependency * diagnosis of a cluster A or B (DSM-5) personality disorder * pervasive developmental disorder, psychotic disorder, eating disorder, bipolar disorder, or severe physical illness.
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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JWGUniversity
RECRUITINGFrankfurt am Main, Hesse, 60486, Germany
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