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Can ancient chinese health practices ease depression?

NCT ID NCT05799586

Symptom relief Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 22, 2026 · Last updated Sep 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing a six-week Traditional Chinese Medicine health preservation course for Hong Kong Chinese adults with moderate depression. The course teaches lifestyle and self-care practices based on TCM principles. Participants attend six two-hour sessions and practice at home for six weeks. The study measures changes in depressive symptoms and anxiety to see if the approach is feasible and worth testing in a larger trial.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
a Traditional Chinese Medicine health preservation course combining lifestyle and self-care practices
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a low-cost, culturally familiar way to help people manage mild to moderate depression alongside standard care.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study of 31 people, so it may not show a clear benefit or may not generalise to other groups. Participants still receive usual care, and the course is not a replacement for standard treatment.

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

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

31 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2023

Finished

Jan 2024

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 to 65 years

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: * Hong Kong Chinese adults aged 18-years-old to 65-years-old; * diagnosed with moderate level of depression (a score of 10\~20), evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); * can communicate in spoken Cantonese and written Chinese; * willing to provide written informed consent and be able to adhere to the study protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * being pregnant or during the lactation, or plan to get pregnant; * new onset or change of antidepressant medication or dosage in the last 3 months; * PHQ-9 score≥20, meaning a severe level of depression; * with a previous or present diagnosis of psychotic disorders as screened by the Chinese version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV; * the score of Hong Kong Montreal Cognitive Assessment less than 22; * significant suicidal risk as rated by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale item on suicide (score ≥3); * with diagnosis of illness which can interfere the individuals to participate or adhere to the modified lifestyle; * with diagnosis of medical conditions, which are not suitable to modify diet or do physical activities recommended by physicians; * joining in another clinical trial during the study period; * with any major medical condition that causes depression based on the judgement of the investigator.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression depressive disorder major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Depressive, symptoms depressive disorder, depression

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • School of Nursing, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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