Can a phone app and coach help depressed teens find joy again?
NCT ID NCT06829953
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing a smartphone app called Vira, combined with health coaching, to help teens aged 12-18 who are dealing with depression and loss of interest in activities. The goal is to see if this approach can increase enjoyment and reduce the risk of suicide. Participants will be randomly assigned to use either the Vira app with a health coach or a different app for comparison.
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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 75 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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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12 to 18 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: * Adolescents age 12-18 * Current moderate to severe depression (PHQ-9-M \> 11) * Current clinically significant anhedonia, operationalized as PHQ-9-M anhedonia item score \> 1 * English language fluency and literacy level sufficient to engage in study protocol * Willing to download the app on their smart phones Exclusion Criteria: * Evidence of mania, psychosis, or developmental disability precluding comprehension of study procedures per electronic health record review and phone screen.
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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
2 sites. 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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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can brain activity reveal why some people with depression lose motivation and pleasure?
- Can popular Weight-Loss drugs quiet the urge to eat for comfort?
- Can stress patterns in teens predict a loss of joy?
- New magnetic helmet aims to restore pleasure in depression