Can a smartphone app lift depression? new study puts syrenity to the test
NCT ID NCT06408025
First seen Jul 02, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026
Summary
This study investigates whether the Syrenity mental health app can reduce depressive symptoms in adults with moderate to severe depression. Participants use the app, which includes exposure-based and behavioral activation exercises, and their progress is tracked with weekly questionnaires. The trial compares the app to a waiting list control and also measures how usable and acceptable the app is.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Syrenity mental health app (exposure-based and behavioral activation interventions)
- What this could lead to
- If effective, the Syrenity app could offer a convenient, accessible tool to help people manage depressive symptoms on their own.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial comparing the app to a waiting list, so results may not prove it works better than other treatments. The app's benefits may also vary by individual.
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 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2024
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
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: * PHQ-9 \>= 10 * Use an iPhone or Android * Residing in the United States Exclusion Criteria: * PHQ-9 item 9 \>= 2
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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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Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, 47408, United States
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