Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health challenges faced by millions of individuals in the United States. From generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) to social anxiety, panic disorders, and phobias, these conditions can significantly impact a person's quality of life. Clinical trials for anxiety offer a pathway to discover innovative treatments, therapies, and medications that can alleviate symptoms and improve mental well-being.
This article provides a detailed guide to help you understand, explore, and participate in clinical trials for anxiety, ensuring you can make informed decisions about your mental health care.
What Are Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials are research studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and side effects of new treatments, therapies, or interventions. These trials are typically overseen by medical experts, healthcare institutions, and government agencies to ensure they meet rigorous safety and ethical standards.
For individuals with anxiety, clinical trials may focus on:
- Testing new medications or therapies.
- Exploring the effectiveness of alternative treatments, such as mindfulness practices or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Investigating how existing medications interact with anxiety symptoms in diverse populations.
Why Consider Clinical Trials for Anxiety?
Participating in a clinical trial can provide numerous benefits, including:
- Access to Cutting-Edge Treatments: Participants may gain early access to innovative therapies or medications before they are widely available.
- Free or Subsidized Care: Many trials offer free medical care, including diagnostics, treatments, and follow-up appointments.
- Contributing to Science: By participating, you contribute to advancing medical research, helping others with similar conditions in the future.
- Expert Care: Clinical trials are often led by top healthcare professionals and researchers in the field of anxiety treatment.
Types of Anxiety Clinical Trials
Anxiety-related clinical trials in the United States can be broadly categorized as follows:
- Medication Trials:
- Focus on testing new anti-anxiety medications or adjusting doses of existing ones.
- Assess the effectiveness of treatments compared to placebos.
- Therapy-Based Trials:
- Test psychotherapy approaches such as CBT, exposure therapy, or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
- Often combine therapy with medication to evaluate complementary results.
- Lifestyle and Alternative Approaches:
- Examine the effects of exercise, diet, meditation, or yoga on anxiety symptoms.
- Investigate non-traditional methods such as virtual reality therapy.
- Diagnostic Studies:
- Explore new ways to diagnose anxiety disorders using biomarkers or advanced imaging techniques.
Current Clinical Trials for Anxiety in the USA
Clinical Trials.Gov allows you to search for clinical trials for Anxiety
Determining Optimal Treatment Sequences in Anxious Depression (DOTS-AD)
The study will consist of 2 phases (Figure 1). Eighty-four adults will be enrolled in Phase 1 and will be adaptively randomized (initially 1:1) to acute, double-blind treatment with escitalopram or duloxetine for 11 weeks. Remission status will be determined at week 10. Remitting patients (CGI-S ≤2) will resume treatment as usual, which may consist of outpatient referral. Non-remitting patients (CGI-S ≥3), will continue into Phase 2 and will be randomized to adjunctive clonazepam or pregabalin for 8 weeks. Twenty adults treated with escitalopram (or its racemic equivalent, citalopram) or duloxetine for ≥6 weeks (at screening) will be enrolled into Phase 2 and will be randomized to receive adjunctive clonazepam or pregabalin for 8 weeks.
Apply tACS to Alleviate Anxiety Symptoms
This is a clinical research trial exploring the efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation (NM) intervention in the treatment of anxiety. The NM used in this study consists of 25 minutes of 5 hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) titrated up to 2mA targeting the anterolateral amygdala across 12 treatment sessions with a 3-4 week time period. The studied population includes patients with the following anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), separation anxiety disorder of childhood, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants will be randomly assigned to tACS or sham, cross-over, then followed by an optional open-label extension phase.
This is a study to find out if a device that temporarily alters brain activity (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rTMS) might be used to change how people with anxiety or related concerns cope with feared or anxiety-producing situations. The study is recruiting people who recently started treatment for anxiety or a related concern. The study involves 3 visits to the Medical University of South Carolina. At the first visit, participants do interviews and surveys asking about anxiety and related concerns, and they also do tasks where they see and react to emotional pictures while their brain activation is measured. At the next two visits, participants receive rTMS, which works by rapidly turning a focused magnetic field on and off repeatedly over the head in a way that passes directly through the hair, scalp, and skull and onto the brain and can temporarily increase brain activity under the magnetic field. After rTMS, participants do two tasks where they see and react to emotional situations while wearing sensors on their hand, arms, face, and head.
Each visit in this study is expected to last between 2 - 4 hours. This is not a treatment study, but the study is being conducted with the hope that it will help improve treatment in the future.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an evidence-based antidepressant, sertraline, in youth (N=120) with generalized, separation and/or social anxiety disorders, seeks to evaluate the predictive value of plasma EV signatures. Patients will be randomized to sertraline (25-200 mg/day) or placebo (3:1) and total plasma EVs will be collected at baseline and serially during the course of the 12-week treatment period.
Modulating Escape Using Focused Ultrasound
This is a study to find out if a cutting-edge technology called transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) can be used to treat how people with anxiety or related concerns cope with emotional situations. tFUS is a brain stimulation technology that causes temporary changes in the activity of deep brain areas without a need for any surgery or other permanent or invasive procedures.
This study is recruiting participants who recently started treatment for anxiety or a related concern to come in for 3 visits at the Medical University of South Carolina. At the first visit, participants will do interviews and surveys asking about anxiety and related concerns, and they do tasks where they respond to emotional pictures while brain activity is measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At the next two visits, participants again do a task where they see and react to emotional images, and this time the task is done once before and again once after receiving tFUS that either actively causes temporary changes (lasting for about an hour) in a targeted brain area or is not active (no changes elicited). At each tFUS visit, responses are measured with sensors worn on the hand, arms, face, and head (these visits do not involve MRI).
Each visit in this study is expected to last between 2 - 3 hours. This study is not a treatment study, but it could help improve treatment in the future. Participants in this study are paid for their time.
Things to Consider Before Enrolling
Before committing to a clinical trial, consider the following factors:
- Risks and Benefits: Understand potential side effects or risks associated with the treatment being tested.
- Time Commitment: Clinical trials may require regular visits, follow-ups, or specific routines.
- Informed Consent: Ensure you fully understand the trial’s objectives, procedures, and your rights as a participant.
Final Thoughts
Participating in a clinical trial for anxiety can be a transformative experience. It offers access to cutting-edge treatments, top-notch care, and the chance to contribute to groundbreaking research. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can find the right clinical trial that aligns with your needs and play an active role in advancing anxiety treatments for yourself and others.
Start exploring clinical trials today and take a step toward better mental health and well-being
