Depression and Anxiety Trial, Not Yet Recruiting
voxsanity.com.au · Eligibility summary from public government registries · 18 August 2026 · not medical advice
Who may and may not be able to join
AI generated eligibility summary. Written by an AI model from the official source data and checked on a sample basis. It can contain mistakes, so confirm anything important against the original source. How we use AI
Who may be able to join
- Adults aged between 18 and 75 years, with no restriction based on gender.
- People who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
- People whose depression severity scores 17 or higher on a standard clinical rating scale called the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS-17).
- People who can read and understand Mandarin Chinese, have completed at least nine years of education, and are willing to follow the study requirements.
- People who have not received acupuncture treatment in at least the past year.
- People who are willing to take part in the trial and sign a written consent form.
Who may not be able to join
Each point below is a reason the trial team may not be able to accept someone. It is not a list of requirements to meet.
- People who have ever had, or currently have, certain other mental health or neurological conditions, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance dependence or misuse, dementia, brain injury, or epilepsy.
- People who are considered at high risk of suicide, or who are currently experiencing thoughts of suicide (confirm with trial site for specific scoring details).
- People who are taking antidepressant medication at the start of the trial, or who have previously tried the antidepressant escitalopram without success.
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- People who have active inflammation at the areas of the body where acupuncture would be performed, or who have any other medical reason that makes acupuncture unsafe for them.
- People who have a fear of needles in general or who are unwilling to receive acupuncture.
- People with a known or suspected serious medical condition that is not well controlled, such as cancer, organ failure, severe heart disease, or severe liver or kidney disease.
- People who have previously taken part in other acupuncture clinical trials.
Important: Always verify eligibility with the trial site directly before applying.
Based on publicly available eligibility criteria from ClinicalTrials.gov. Verify directly with the trial site before acting. This is not medical advice.
If you need support right now
This page includes language about suicide and self-harm, because that is how the trial's eligibility criteria are written. If reading it has been hard, you do not have to keep going. The services below are free, confidential, and answered by people trained for exactly this.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.
- Lifeline — 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14
- Suicide Call Back Service — 24/7 counselling: 1300 659 467
- 13YARN — 24/7, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: 13 92 76
- Beyond Blue — 24/7 mental health support: 1300 22 4636
- Emergency: 000
Outside Australia? The numbers above are Australian and will not work from overseas. Find a Helpline is a free directory of crisis lines in over 130 countries, run by ThroughLine with the International Association for Suicide Prevention. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.
Voxsanity is not a crisis service, and nothing on this page is medical advice. More Australian services are listed on our support lines page.
Contact this trial
Principal Investigator: Zhenxiang Han, Dr, Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital, Shanghai University of TCM
Phone: +8617701767768
Contact details sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Verify directly with the trial site before attending.
GP referral letter
Print a one-page summary to share with your doctor.
Trial details
Where this trial is recruiting
Primary endpoints
HDRS-17 scale
Can't join this trial?
Data last synced from ClinicalTrials.gov: 24 July 2026. Trial status can change. Always verify current status directly with the trial site before making any decision.