Can a 2-Week app ease anxiety and depression? norway launches large trial
NCT ID NCT07627204
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study will test two smartphone apps, Tankevirus and Grubl, designed to help people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression. About 1000 Norwegian adults will use one of the apps or a placebo app for two weeks. Researchers will measure changes in symptoms and quality of life over six months to see if the apps are helpful and cost-effective.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- smartphone app (Tankevirus or Grubl)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, these apps could provide a low-cost, accessible way to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms without needing a therapist.
- What could go wrong
- This is a protocol for a trial that hasn't started yet. The apps are brief (2 weeks) and effects may be small or not last long. Results may not apply outside Norway.
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 1,000 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
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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16 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: * Adults and adolescents aged 16 years or older (16 is the minimum age of consent without parental approval for participation in research in Norway. Inclusion of individuals aged younger than 18 years will be highlighted in the ethical review.) * Residing in Norway * Access to a compatible smartphone (iOS or Android) * Reporting mild to moderately severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 \[PHQ-9\] score ≥5 and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 \[GAD-7\] ≥5) * Able to read Norwegian and use Norwegian to a sufficient level * Able and willing to provide consent for the study prior to participation Exclusion Criteria: * PHQ-9 score ≥20 (severe depression) * Active suicidal ideation (PHQ-9 item 9 score ≥2) * Have ever required hospitalization for mental illness or are currently taking antipsychotic or other psychotropic medications * Current engagement in psychological treatment * Report having used Tankevirus or Grubl apps in the past
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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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Akershus University Hospital
Lørenskog, Akershus, 1978, Norway
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