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
- People aged between 18 and 65 years.
- People who have been diagnosed with a depressive episode according to standard psychiatric guidelines (DSM-5), with mild-to-moderate depression symptoms as measured by a specific rating scale (HAMD-17 score between 8 and 23).
- People who have had ongoing pain lasting at least 3 months, rated at 4 or above on a standard pain questionnaire (item 5 of the Brief Pain Inventory).
- People who have been on a stable antidepressant medication and/or psychological treatment plan — with no changes to the dose, type of medication, or therapy approach — for at least four weeks before joining the trial.
- People who are right-handed, with normal hearing and normal vision (or vision that is fully corrected with glasses or contact lenses).
- People who are able to give written consent to participate freely and willingly, and who are able and willing to follow all study procedures throughout the trial.
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 been diagnosed with other psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia-related disorders, bipolar I disorder, primary anxiety disorders, or depression linked to a serious physical illness.
- People who are currently experiencing active thoughts of suicide, as indicated by a specific score on the depression rating scale used in this trial (a score of 4 on item 3 of the HAMD-17).
- People with severe or treatment-resistant depression, defined as a high score on the depression rating scale (HAMD-17 score of 23 or above), with a current depressive episode lasting at least 2 years, or where two or more antidepressant treatments during the current episode have not worked.
- People who have had a substance use disorder in the past 3 months.
- People whose pain is caused by cancer, internal organ pain (such as stomach pain), or referred pain from another source (such as back pain caused by a pancreas condition).
- People who have a neurological condition involving a structural difference in the brain, such as a brain injury, a recent stroke, or a brain tumour.
- People who have received certain brain stimulation treatments in the past 3 months, including electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), or transcranial electrical stimulation (tES).
- People for whom transcranial electrical stimulation would be medically unsuitable — for example, those with metal implants in the skull, a cardiac pacemaker, a cochlear implant, skin damage at the area where stimulation would be applied, or a personal or family history of epilepsy.
- People who are currently taking, or have taken within the past month, medications that affect brain activity or pain — such as anticonvulsants, lithium, opioids, anti-inflammatory pain relievers (NSAIDs), or antipsychotics. (Note: occasional use of paracetamol/acetaminophen as a rescue pain reliever is allowed but must be carefully recorded in a study diary.)
- People showing signs of dementia or significant cognitive impairment, as indicated by a score below 24 on a standard cognitive assessment (the MMSE).
- People with serious or unstable physical health conditions, including but not limited to: neurological conditions such as epilepsy, stroke, migraine, or a history of brain surgery; heart or cardiovascular conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, or heart attack; breathing conditions such as severe sleep apnoea; active cancer or a weakened immune system; or poorly controlled diabetes (fasting blood sugar above 12 mmol/L).
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- People who are currently in another clinical trial, have been in a clinical trial within the past 90 days, or plan to join another trial during this study period.
- People for whom an MRI scan would not be safe or possible — for example, those with metal implants in the body, claustrophobia, or breathing or movement difficulties that would prevent them from completing the scan.
- People who are unable to cooperate with the assessments required by the study.
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
Phone: (+86) 18017311011
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
Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) - Pain Intensity Subscale
Can't join this trial?
Data last synced from ClinicalTrials.gov: 22 July 2026. Trial status can change. Always verify current status directly with the trial site before making any decision.