Can acting out help heal? drama therapy trial targets dual diagnosis
NCT ID NCT06187701
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests a specific type of drama therapy for people who have both a mental health condition (like depression or bipolar disorder) and a substance use disorder. Ten participants will attend weekly group drama therapy sessions for 12 weeks, then put on a performance. Researchers will measure changes in substance use, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life to see if this creative approach helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- drama therapy (Co-Active Therapeutic Theatre)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, engaging way to help people with both mental health and substance use issues feel better and function better.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (10 people) that has been suspended, so results are uncertain. Drama therapy may not work for everyone, and the study cannot prove effectiveness on its own.
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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with at least one primary psychiatric disorder, and * Diagnosed with at least one substance use disorder * Both disorders active (i.e., meeting DSM-V criteria for each disorder (i.e., with ongoing psychiatric symptoms and ongoing substance use) * Enrolled in the Addiction Psychiatry Treatment Program (APTP) at Boston Medical Center (i.e., scheduled for follow-up appointments with therapist and/or psychiatrist in APTP). * Currently taking medications and those not currently taking medications Exclusion Criteria: * Incarcerated persons * Pregnant women * Inability to understand and/or sign informed consent form
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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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Boston Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
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