NCT07919288Not yet recruiting
Expressive Arts Therapy in Major Depression: An RCT
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Expressive Arts Therapy in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 5 Nov 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether expressive arts therapy works to treat major depressive disorder in adults. It will also learn about the safety and feasibility of expressive arts therapy. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can expressive arts therapy reduce depressive symptoms in participants with major depressive disorder? * Can expressive arts therapy reduce alexithymia in participants with major depressive disorder? * Can expressive arts therapy increase participants' positive psychological capital? Researchers will compare expressive arts therapy with a control condition (such as usual care or a waitlist control) to see whether expressive arts therapy works to treat major depressive disorder. Participants will: * Receive expressive arts therapy sessions two or three times per week for 4 weeks, or receive the control condition * Visit the clinic at scheduled intervals for checkups and assessments * Complete questionnaires about depressive symptoms, alexithymia, and positive psychological capital * Keep a diary of their mood and therapy-related experiences
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 120 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 30 Oct 2026
- Start date
- 15 Nov 2026
- Primary completion date
- 1 Jan 2029
- Lead sponsor
- Ningbo University
- Diseases
- Depression
- NCT number
- NCT07919288
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 120
- From 15 Nov 2026 to the primary completion date, 1 Jan 2029
- No sites listed in no country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study design.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Planning to receive or currently receiving other formal psychological counseling or psychotherapy outside of this study during the research period.
- Presence of substance dependence (e.g., alcohol, drugs).
Age
- Presence of severe psychiatric disorders other than MDD, or the duration of the current depressive episode is \> 2 years (chronic depression).
Other
- Score of \< 9 on the PHQ-9 at baseline assessment.
- Unwilling or unable to provide informed consent, or unable to complete the study assessments.
Who the study is looking for
- 1\. Male or female, aged between 16 and 60 years. 2. Clinically diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). 3. Score of ≥ 9 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at baseline screening.
- 4\. Currently receiving or taking antidepressant medication. 5. May have comorbid anxiety symptoms, but must have no history of alcohol or substance dependence.
- 6\. Willing to participate in the study and able to provide written informed consent (for participants under 18, parental/guardian consent is required)
Age in the registry: 16 years to 60 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.