App that reads your mood and fights cravings put to the test
NCT ID NCT03538652
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a smartphone app designed to help people with opioid addiction by sending helpful messages at just the right moment. Nine adults who used heroin or other opioids carried a phone that beeped four times a day to ask about their mood and activities, then showed a message based on their answers. The goal was to see whether different types of messages (like problem-solving or mindfulness) worked better in different situations. The study was terminated early, so the findings are limited.
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 with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) messages
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward more effective, personalized smartphone tools to help people manage cravings and moods during addiction recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very small, early-stage study that was terminated early, so results are limited. The app's effectiveness remains unproven, and it may not work for everyone.
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
-
9 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Feb 2020
- Finished
-
Mar 2020
- Lead sponsor
-
A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 75 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 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: Phase 1: Formative interviews. The enrollment ceiling is 35 outpatients (to collect evaluable data from 30) who meet these criteria: (1) Age 18-75; (2) physical dependence on opioids (by self-report); (3) interest in receiving the types of treatment about which we will be conducting interviews. Phase 2: Clinical trial with microrandomization. The enrollment ceiling is 150 outpatients (to collect evaluable data from 85, of whom 50 will be randomized to JITAI, and 35 to EMA control). Treatment may be provided by us in the form of office-based buprenorphine treatment (OBOT) or may be provided elsewhere (Treatment Elsewhere, TE). Participants must meet these criteria: OBOT participants: (1) Age 18-75; (2) physical dependence on opioids (by positive urine and/or frank opioid withdrawal); (3) interest in receiving the types of treatment we are testing. Treatment Elsewhere (TE) participants: (1) Age 18-75; (2) receiving methadone or buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence from a qualified provider in the community; (3) interest in receiving the types of treatment we are testing. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Phase 1: Formative interviews. (1) cognitive impairment severe enough to preclude informed consent or valid interview responses. Phase 2: Clinical trial with microrandomization. OBOT participants: * (1) History of any DSM-V psychotic disorder; history of bipolar disorder; current Major Depressive Disorder; * (2) unresolved symptoms of PTSD that, in the investigators view, would make it risky for the participant to undertake mindfulness exercises (e.g., observing all one's current negative thoughts and emotions) in an unsupervised setting; * (3) current dependence on alcohol or sedative-hypnotic, e.g. benzodiazepine (by DSM-V criteria); * (4) cognitive impairment severe enough to preclude informed consent or valid self-report; * (5) Any condition that interferes with urine collection; * (6) medical illness (e.g., cirrhosis, nephritic syndrome, thyroid disease, ischemic heart disease, epilepsy, adrenal insufficiency, etc.) or medications that, in the view of the investigators, would compromise participation in research.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Addiction are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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
-
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can schools catch teen mental health struggles before they escalate?
- Your mood may be steering your choices: scientists track emotions to predict behavior
- A new study mines health data to spot painkiller dependence early
- Talking it out: could psychodynamic therapy curb compulsive pornography use?
- Hidden link: addiction and partner violence under the microscope
- Can Weight-Loss drugs outperform diet and exercise for heart health?