What counts as treatment-resistant depression?
The clinical definition is simpler than it sounds. Read through — most people recognize themselves in the first two.
Tried 2 or more antidepressants at full dose
Each taken for at least 6–8 weeks as prescribed
Medications from different drug classes
e.g., an SSRI and an SNRI count as different classes
Still experiencing significant symptoms
Persistent low mood, fatigue, or loss of interest
No full remission between episodes
Symptoms returned within weeks of stopping medication
Currently under psychiatric or GP care
Active treatment relationship — even if it feels stuck
If you checked the first two boxes, you likely meet the clinical threshold for treatment-resistant depression and may qualify for multiple active trials.
The numbers are not small
of people don't respond to their first antidepressant
never achieve full remission across multiple trials
people worldwide live with major depressive disorder
"I spent three years thinking I just wasn't trying hard enough. Finding out there was a clinical name for what I was experiencing — and that researchers were actively studying it — changed everything."
Marcus T., 38
Trial participant, Chicago
Check if you qualify now
Takes under 90 seconds
A typical 12-week study
Screening visit
A 90-minute appointment — medical history review, mood assessment, and a brief physical. You can bring someone with you.
Baseline & enrollment
Confirm eligibility, sign consent forms, receive your study schedule. Everything is explained in plain language — no jargon.
Active treatment
Weekly or bi-weekly visits depending on the protocol. Most visits are 45–60 minutes. Some studies offer fully remote participation.
Follow-up check-ins
Shorter monthly visits or video calls to monitor how you're doing. Your regular treatment continues alongside the study.
Final assessment
A closing visit, full results shared with you and your doctor, and compensation of up to $150 for your time.
Typical studies span 30–33 visits and roughly 40 hours total. Most participants receive some form of active treatment — not placebo-only.
What a clinical trial actually looks like, week by week.
The unknown is often the hardest part. Here's what participating in a depression trial typically involves — in plain terms, not protocol language.
Most visits are 45–90 minutes, scheduled around your life
Some trials are fully remote — no travel required
Your current medications continue — trials add to your care, not replace it
Compensation up to $150 for completing all activities
What you will never be asked to do.
Six specific fears. Six direct answers. No hedging, no fine print — just what the research actually shows.
"I'll be put on placebo and get no treatment"
Most TRD trials include at least one active treatment arm. Many use no control group at all — every participant receives an active intervention.
"I'll have to stop my current medications"
"Once I sign up, I'm locked in"
"It's experimental — it might make me worse"
"I'm too old / too young to qualify"
"My other health conditions will disqualify me"
Active treatments in 2025–2026 trials
Monotherapy for TRD, now available without concurrent daily antidepressant
Demonstrated efficacy in both TRD and non-TRD MDD in peer-reviewed studies
For patients who've failed 2–4 antidepressants in current episode
More effective than switching antidepressants; now covered by Medicare at $19,703
Research-backed matching
Qualify cross-references your profile against real inclusion and exclusion criteria from ClinicalTrials.gov — the same database used by researchers at Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and the NIH.
"More than 82% of real-world patients would not qualify for standard antidepressant trials due to overly restrictive criteria. We built Qualify specifically for the people who fall through those cracks."
— Based on STAR*D study analysis
2,400+
Active trials matched
47 states
Trial locations covered
< 3 min
Average time to first match
83%
Of users found at least one qualifying trial
"I'd tried four medications over six years. My psychiatrist mentioned trials but I didn't know where to start. Qualify had me matched in two minutes — I'm now three weeks into a psilocybin study at UCSF."
Diane O.
Age 44, San Francisco — enrolled in Phase 2 psilocybin trial
"I found this at 1 a.m. while my husband was asleep. I'd been searching for two hours. This was the first thing that felt like it was actually for us — not just for doctors."
Priya K.
Caregiver, Austin — husband enrolled in esketamine study
"As a therapist, I needed something I could recommend to clients without feeling like I was sending them into the unknown. The myth-busting section alone is worth bookmarking."
Thomas B., LCSW
Outpatient therapist, Philadelphia
Searching on behalf of someone you love?
The person searching is often not the person suffering. Generate a shareable link with a personal note — so they can read through at their own pace, when they're ready.
Personal note preview
"I found something that might help. It's a tool that matches people to clinical trials for depression — it only takes a minute and you don't have to commit to anything. I thought of you."
Check My Eligibility
Three short steps. We pre-filled what you already told us — just confirm and continue.
Step 1 — Confirm your answers
We've pre-filled your answers from the estimator. Just confirm and move on — or adjust anything that isn't right.
Symptom duration
2 years
Medications tried
2–3 antidepressants
Location
Near you