Every intervention Outliyr has scored for depression, ranked by its BioHarmony score for this use case rather than its overall rating. The number beside each name is how well that one thing works for depression; the tier beside it is what it is worth once safety, cost and effort are counted across everything else.
41 of 98 evaluated interventions score 3.0+ out of 10 for depression · 7 comparisons
The evidence points to a plausible use case without proving a universal response. Mahmoudi et al. 2026 is the best anchor here because it reports 34 randomized trials, 1769 participants and improved…
The existing rationale points to this narrower claim: Repeated heat exposure has a credible mood signal through relaxation, inflammatory modulation, and autonomic downshift. this verified source supports clinical interest in. That does…
Pizzoli 2021 meta-analysis of 14 RCTs (n=794): random-effects Hedge's g = 0.38, p = 0.0006. Vann-Adibe 2025 confirms remote-protocol depression g = -0.41. The score stays bounded because HRV Biofeedback evidence for…
Depression evidence is mixed and more often adjunctive than primary. Real-time fMRI and EEG protocols can engage targets, but the clinical signal is not strong enough to replace psychotherapy, exercise, sleep, light…
Kodama 2009 anchors the strongest signal. The existing rationale points to this narrower claim: Aerobic exercise can be a meaningful adjunct for mild to moderate depression, and Zone 2 is often tolerable…
Implanted VNS has the strongest depression pathway; older and newer sham-controlled trials are mixed, and auricular tVNS remains emerging rather than first-line depression care. The score stays bounded because Vagus Nerve Stimulation…
The evidence points to a plausible use case without proving a universal response. Appleton et al. 2021 is the best anchor here because it reports corrected PMID source and small-to-modest effect judged…
Snyder 2016 reports T Trials main paper, n=790; sexual-function benefit, some mood/depressive-symptom benefit, no primary vitality or walking-distance benefit. Zarrouf 2009 points in the same direction, but route, dose, baseline status, and…
Zeng X et al. 2026 is the best anchor here because it reports 11 randomized trials and 1,511 participants and imrecoxib and celecoxib had no significant overall difference in clinical response or…
Tirzepatide may influence depressive symptoms indirectly through substantial weight loss, reduced systemic inflammation, improved sleep quality, and enhanced self-efficacy, all factors linked to mood regulation. However, no audit-verified trial has examined Tirzepatide…
Norwegian 4x4 involves four four-minute bouts at ~90-95% of maximal heart rate, followed by three minutes of active recovery. This pattern can boost cardiorespiratory fitness, which correlates with mood improvements in some…
The signal is conditional. Depression evidence is limited to a small transcranial research signal and is not equivalent to consumer PEMF mats. The audit confirmed the v0 PMID was unrelated environmental-remediation literature,…
Rodriguez 2016 is the cleanest verified anchor for this report. The existing rationale points to this narrower claim: Depression stays at v0's modest score because methylene blue has mechanistic overlap with monoamine…
Soh 2024 anchors the most relevant signal. Glycine fits depression because glycine participates in sleep signaling, glutathione, collagen, methylation, and nervous-system balance, depending on the endpoint. The score stays bounded because many…
No randomized trials directly assess depressive outcomes, so any mood benefit would be indirect. Whole-Body Vibration does improve muscle strength and pain, which can enhance activity levels and reduce fatigue, factors that…
Semaglutide may help some mood drivers through weight loss and metabolic improvement, but mood adverse reports and reward dampening keep the claim neutral. Moiz 2024 supports weight-loss efficacy, not antidepressant efficacy. The…
Jung H et al. 2026 is the best anchor here because it reports systematic review and meta-analysis of 54 studies and adverse-effect signals differ by indication and include insomnia, anxiety, nausea, headache,…
Curcumin has a modest antidepressant signal. A 2017 meta-analysis in JAMDA pooled six trials and 377 patients and found a Hamilton depression score improvement (standardized mean difference around 0.34), with a smaller…
Observational signals in diabetes do not establish metformin as an antidepressant. Chronic B12 depletion can worsen fatigue and mood symptoms, so the depression score remains below neutral.
No depression evidence. Ca-AKG should not be positioned as a mood intervention.
Unipolar depression evidence is weaker than the bipolar-adjunct signal; the meta-analytic effect is small and pulled mainly by bipolar trials per Fernandes 2016.
No direct depression evidence was verified. Protein adequacy can support general health, but EAA supplements are not depression treatment.
Depression evidence is positive but thin, and the anhedonia concern complicates the use case. Nagano 2010 and Vigna 2019 support symptoms, not diagnosed major depression treatment.
Elderly mood benefits appear as secondary outcomes in older cognitive trials such as Maggioni 1990 and Cenacchi 1993. PS is not studied as a primary depression treatment.
INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE for depression benefit, and no clinical mood-disorder program supports scoring beyond weak exploratory interest.
Adjunct only. Moshfeghinia 2024 supports limited psychiatric-symptom improvement, but there is no strong depression-monotherapy evidence and no guideline endorsement.
The widely cited rapid antidepressant result came from infrared whole-body hyperthermia in Janssen 2016, not a Finnish dry sauna, so it cannot be transferred here. Without a traditional-sauna depression trial, the rating…
Talbott 2013 included mood-state outcomes but did not establish Tongkat Ali as a depression intervention. Depression-specific RCTs, clinical diagnostic endpoints, and long-term safety data are absent.
Depression symptom improvements occur in some neurorecovery cohorts. Harch 2011 documents symptom reductions after post-concussion HBOT protocols. Evidence is indirect, comorbid, and small. Do not score HBOT as a primary depression intervention.…
Modulates dopamine and serotonin systems in animal work; limited direct evidence. No human depression RCT was identified in the audit, so standard mental-health care remains primary.
Bromantane is not approved or studied as an antidepressant in humans. The depression evidence base is animal-model only (Tallerova 2011, Tallerova 2014) and should not anchor a clinical depression claim.
Depression evidence is indirect. Selank may help anxiety-linked low mood, but there is no adequate primary depression trial, and depression claims should stay adjunctive.
J-147 reduced sepsis-induced depressive-like behavior in mice by lowering neuroinflammation (Qiu et al. 2023). A specific model, not a general antidepressant claim, and preclinical.
General exercise has antidepressant effects, but BFR-specific depression evidence is not a primary finding.
Oxidative-stress/depression biology is relevant, but astaxanthin lacks direct depression RCT support.
Depression remains a 3 because no clinical antidepressant evidence exists. Mechanistic overlap with inflammation and neuroprotection is not enough for a stronger score. Pickart 2012 is supportive background only.
Resistance training has antidepressant evidence, but EMS-specific depression data are not established. Use WB-EMS as an exercise adherence workaround, not as a primary depression intervention.
No meaningful human RCT evidence for CBD as a depression treatment; preclinical only.
Espeland 2022 captures a single-case major depression remission report (Van Tulleken 2018) after 4 months of open-water swimming. Kelly and Bird 2022 reviewed contemporary clinical applications and concluded biological plausibility outpaces RCT…
Some KADSS depressive-symptom improvement exists, likely downstream of anxiety relief. No standalone antidepressant trial base; not a depression treatment.
Nothing matches those filters.
Monthly out-of-pocket cost at the most accessible legitimate channel, at the dose the score was given for. 14 of 41 are not priced yet; those cells are left blank rather than guessed.
| Intervention | Monthly cost | At dose | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saffron | Not priced yet | ||
| Infrared Sauna | $36–$73 | 55-60 degrees C, 20-30 min | Over the counter |
| HRV Biofeedback | $5 | 20 min/session at individual RF (4.5 to 6.5 bpm) | Over the counter |
| Neurofeedback | Not priced yet | ||
| Zone 2 Cardio | Not priced yet | Over the counter | |
| Vagus Nerve Stimulation | $4–$8 | 10-20 min auricular tVNS at comfortable perceptible intensity | Over the counter |
| Omega-3 | $20–$40 | 1-2 g/day combined EPA+DHA | Over the counter |
| TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) | $50–$300 | Clinician-selected formulation at the lowest dose likely to restore physiologic testosterone | Prescription |
| Celebrex (Celecoxib) | Not priced yet | ||
| Tirzepatide | $299–$449 | 2.5 to 5 to 7.5 to 10 to 12.5 to 15 mg | Prescription |
| Norwegian 4×4 | Not priced yet | Over the counter | |
| PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy) | $3–$117 | 20-30 min mat session | Over the counter |
| Methylene Blue | $13–$40 | 0.5-5 mg oral | Over the counter |
| Glycine | $2–$3 | 3 g oral glycine | Over the counter |
| Whole-Body Vibration | $50–$100 | 30 Hz, roughly 0.3g, 10-20 min standing | Over the counter |
| Semaglutide | $199–$349 | 0.25 mg weeks 1 to 4, 0.5 mg weeks 5 to 8, 1.0 mg weeks 9 to 12, 1.7 mg weeks 13 to 16, 2.4 mg week 17 onward | Prescription |
| Modafinil | $18–$35 | 200 mg oral tablet | Prescription |
| Curcumin | $15–$40 | 500 mg curcuminoids | Over the counter |
| Metformin | $4–$30 | 500 mg with dinner for 1 week, then 500 mg twice daily for 1 week, then increase by 500 mg/week toward 1000 mg twice daily as tolerated | Prescription |
| Ca-AKG (Calcium Alpha-Ketoglutarate) | $15–$30 | 1 g/day generic Ca-AKG oral | Over the counter |
| NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) | $5–$15 | 600 to 1,200 mg/day | Over the counter |
| Essential Amino Acids | Not priced yet | ||
| Lion’s Mane | $20–$40 | 3 g/day fruiting body extract | Over the counter |
| Phosphatidylserine | $20–$50 | 300 mg/day total, split as 100 mg three times daily or 300 mg once daily with food | Over the counter |
| Rapamycin | $15–$50 | 3 mg | Prescription |
| L-Theanine | $3–$8 | 200 mg L-theanine + 100 mg caffeine | Over the counter |
| Traditional Sauna (Finnish Dry-Heat) | $50 | 15 to 20 minutes at 80 to 100 C | Over the counter |
| Polyphenols (Dietary) | Not priced yet | ||
| Tongkat Ali | $20–$40 | 200 mg/day Physta standardized extract | Over the counter |
| Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy | $3,000–$6,000 | 2.0 ATA for 90 minutes with air breaks | In clinic |
| BPC-157 | $40–$80 | 250 to 500 mcg SC 1 to 2x/day near injury site | Grey market |
| Bromantane (Ladasten) | $12–$30 | 30 mg | Grey market |
| Selank | $30–$60 | 0.15% intranasal spray, roughly 1-3 sprays per nostril per day depending on actuation size | Grey market |
| J-147 | Not priced yet | ||
| Blood-Flow Restriction Training | Not priced yet | ||
| Astaxanthin | Not priced yet | ||
| GHK-Cu | $30–$100 | 0.5-3% topical serum or cream | Over the counter |
| Full-Body EMS | Not priced yet | ||
| Full-Spectrum Hemp (CBD) | Not priced yet | ||
| Cold Plunge | Not priced yet | Over the counter | |
| Kava (Piper methysticum) | Not priced yet |
Head-to-head reports and category rankings that name a winner on this use case.
Ranked by the live Focus and cognition subrating, not the overall score. Methylene blue leads at 6.5–7.0/10 despite a lower overall, 6.0–6.5/10. Bromantane climbs from ninth to fourth.…
Different jobs, same shelf. Quercetin scores 6.5–7.0/10 and curcumin 5.5–6.0/10, and that gap is the liver-safety signal rather than a difference in effect. Curcumin wins joints, inflammatory markers,…
Neither, yet. Both have zero human trials, zero human pharmacokinetics and research-only access. PE-22-28 scores 4.5–5.0/10 and dihexa 4.0–4.5/10, and the gap is entirely safety: dihexa potentiates the…
They solve different problems and the scores hide that. Oxytocin scores 6.5–7.0/10 against PT-141's 5.0–5.5/10, mostly on safety and cost. PT-141 still wins libido 5.5/10 against 2.5/10. Oxytocin…
Bromantane scores 7.0–7.5/10 and modafinil 5.5–6.0/10, and they answer different questions. Modafinil is the faster and better-documented wakefulness drug when sleep debt or diagnosed sleepiness is the problem.…
PT-141 scores 5.0–5.5/10 and melanotan II 4.5–5.0/10, and both land in the neutral tier. PT-141 is the defensible one. It targets the brain receptor that drives desire, it…
Traditional sauna scores 7.5–8.0/10 and infrared 7.0–7.5/10. Infrared actually scores higher on 20 of the 23 use cases both are rated on. Buy traditional anyway if hard outcomes…
Saffron, at 7.5–8.0 out of 10 for depression. The evidence points to a plausible use case without proving a universal response.
Of the top-scoring options, Glycine is the least expensive at about $2 a month, scoring 5.0–5.5 out of 10 for depression.
41 of the 98 interventions evaluated for depression score 3.0 out of 10 or better, which is the cut-off for appearing on this page.
