Healing after loss: can talk therapy lift depression?
NCT ID NCT04629599
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a type of talk therapy called interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for women who became severely depressed after losing a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth. About 199 women in Michigan took part. The goal was to see if IPT helps them recover from depression faster and feel better.
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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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199 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2021
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- 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 to 50 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- 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: * women who meet current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) * have experienced a perinatal loss (including early and late fetal death, death of a liveborn neonate within the first 28 days, and medically recommended termination) within the last 1-12 months * are 18 to 50 years old * speak and understand English well enough to understand questionnaires when they are read aloud * can provide the name and contact information of at least two locator persons * have access to a telephone through owning one, a relative/friend, or an agency Exclusion Criteria: * onset of current major depressive episode prior to news of difficulties with the pregnancy or health risk to the infant (women with prior episodes will be included) * current or past diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder * primary diagnosis of current substance use disorder * acute suicidal or homicidal risk * non-stable course of antidepressant medication or psychotherapy (i.e., beginning or changing dose of either within the previous 12 weeks) * any IPT or cognitive-behavioral treatment in the previous 12 weeks
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Anywhere in the entire state of Michigan (treatment is virtual)
Flint, Michigan, 48502, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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