BreathDep is funded within the DZPG-VISIONS26 funding line of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). BreathDep is a multicenter clinical study investigating the efficacy and mechanisms of action of a manualized, group-based breathwork intervention in patients with moderate depressive symptoms. Breathwork refers to structured breathing exercises that are deliberately used to support emotional and physiological regulation processes. The aim of the study is to examine whether breathwork, as an adjunctive therapeutic intervention, can reduce depressive symptoms and to identify the psychological and biological processes underlying its effects. The group intervention is conducted as an adjunct to ongoing individual psychotherapy and is clinically supervised.
BreathDep is the largest planned randomized, waitlist-controlled clinical study investigating breathwork in depression to date. In addition to clinical outcomes, mechanistic measures are assessed in collaboration with other DZPG sites, including functional neuroimaging, heart rate variability, touch perception, and molecular biomarkers. The study follows a participatory research approach, with individuals with lived experience continuously involved in the planning, conduct, and dissemination of the study. BreathDep thus contributes to the evidence-based development of body-oriented interventions in the treatment of depression.
