Clinical trials

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether brief psychoanalytic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reduce depressive symptoms in adults aged 18 to 65 who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does brief psychoanalytic therapy reduce depression severity more than a waitlist control condition after 18 weeks? * Does CBT reduce depression severity more than a waitlist control condition after 18 weeks? Researchers will also compare brief psychoanalytic therapy with CBT to explore whether one works better than the other, and will examine whether changes in defense mechanisms and automatic negative thoughts explain improvement in each therapy. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to brief psychoanalytic therapy, CBT, or a waitlist control group (30 participants per group) * In the therapy groups, attend 18 weekly individual therapy sessions of 50 minutes each * In the waitlist group, continue their usual psychiatric care without psychotherapy for 18 weeks, and then be offered one of the therapies * Complete clinical interviews and questionnaires about depression, anxiety, quality of life, thought patterns and coping styles before treatment, at week 9 and at week 18 * In the therapy groups, complete follow-up assessments 6 and 12 months after treatment ends

Digital game addiction is associated with reduced physical activity, increased sedentary behavior, and adverse physical and psychosocial health outcomes in young adults. This study aims to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a physiological biofeedback-integrated virtual reality (VR)-based exercise intervention for young adults at risk of digital gaming addiction. In this prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial, participants will be randomly assigned to either a VR-based aerobic exercise group or a traditional aerobic exercise group. Both groups will participate in supervised exercise sessions twice weekly for 8 weeks. The primary outcome is physical activity level, while secondary outcomes include functional capacity, muscle strength, physiological responses during exercise, digital gaming addiction severity, exercise enjoyment, and intervention usability.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether adding personalized contextual factors to an exercise program can improve pain and function in people with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain. This condition is a common cause of shoulder pain and can limit daily activities. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Does a contextually enriched and individualized exercise program lead to greater improvement in upper-limb disability (measured by the QuickDASH questionnaire) compared with a contextually fixed program? 2. Does it lead to greater reductions in pain intensity (measured by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale) and greater improvements in autonomic nervous system regulation (measured by heart rate variability)? 3. Does it result in more favorable changes in psychosocial outcomes, exercise adherence, and therapeutic alliance? Researchers will compare two exercise programs to determine whether adding personalized contextual features enhances treatment effectiveness. One group will receive a standardized, evidence-based exercise program delivered in a fixed and neutral manner. The other group will receive the same exercise program with added personalized contextual elements, such as: * Preferred music and lighting * Choice between equivalent exercises (without changing exercise type or dosage) * Motivational feedback and supportive communication * Personalized progress tracking Both groups will: * Attend supervised exercise sessions twice per week for 12 weeks * Follow a structured home exercise program * Complete questionnaires assessing pain, function, and psychological factors * Undergo heart rate variability assessment to evaluate autonomic regulation * Be followed for 12 months after treatment The researchers expect that integrating personalized contextual elements into exercise therapy may enhance recovery, increase motivation, and improve long-term outcomes.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a self-help reading program, called metacognitive bibliotherapy, can reduce anxiety and depression in university students studying medicine and health sciences. It will also examine whether the program changes unhelpful thinking patterns about worry and rumination. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does metacognitive bibliotherapy lower anxiety and depression symptoms in university students? Does it reduce unhelpful thinking patterns, such as excessive worry and rumination? Researchers will compare two different self-help books with a waiting list group to see if reading these books helps reduce anxiety and depression. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to one of three groups: read The Art of Letting Go - How to Stop Rumination, read Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory, or join a waiting list * Read the assigned book at their own pace over 8 weeks * Complete online questionnaires at the start of the study, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks * Participants in the waiting list group will receive both books for free after the 8-week study period ends

This randomized controlled trial investigates the neurophysiological, physiological, and attentional effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in individuals with restrictive-type anorexia nervosa (AN). The study compares two groups: one receiving a 12-week CBT intervention, and one placed on a waitlist (no active treatment during the study period). All participants undergo pre- and post-intervention assessments using electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and eye-tracking while exposed to visual stimuli related to food, body image, and self-appearance. The primary outcomes include neural changes in attention and emotional processing (P300, LPP, frontal alpha asymmetry), physiological arousal (skin conductance), and visual attention biases (fixation duration and gaze distribution). The aim is to determine whether CBT leads to measurable improvements in neurobiological and attentional mechanisms related to body image disturbance and food-related anxiety in AN, contributing to biomarker-informed psychotherapy approaches.

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to compare the effectiveness of Islamic-Oriented Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (IEH) and Standard Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (SEH) in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study will enroll 90 participants with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, who will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) IEH intervention, (2) SEH intervention, or (3) control group (no intervention). Participants in the intervention groups will receive 12 weekly hypnotherapy sessions, each lasting 60 minutes. The primary outcomes include changes in Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores from baseline to post-intervention and at a 4-week follow-up. The study will also assess whether religious belief levels moderate the effects of the intervention using the OK-Religious Attitude Scale. Data collection will be performed at Istanbul Nişantaşı University, and ethical approval has been obtained.