Suicide Clinical Trials

The overall aim of this study is to reduce suicide among sexual and gender diverse youth ages 18-24 years old. This study will compare the effectiveness of two brief suicide prevention interventions that have been adapted for use with this population to use in primary care via telehealth and will recruit youth from primary care clinics in Texas metropolitan areas. The primary study outcome is suicidal ideation. Each clinic will be randomly assigned to deliver one of the two study interventions. Read Less

The purpose of the RISE study is to examine how the 24-hour rhythm of sleep and social activity relate to mood and suicidal ideation among older adults that recently lost a spouse or life partner. Read Less

Mental health care for Veterans with suicidal symptoms is of paramount import to the VA. Unfortunately, VA suicide reports show suicide rates increasing, suggesting a need for enhancing current VA suicide mental health care efforts. While several psychotherapeutic treatments exist for acute suicidality, there are few treatments designed to help Veterans following an acute suicidal episode (Post-Acute Suicidal Episode; PASE), particularly after acute risk declines but when they still have ongoing mental health needs and, at times, long-term suicidal symptoms. Available suicide treatments are not designed to promote the recovery and rehabilitation of PASE Veterans. This is a significant gap in comprehensive suicide-focused mental health care. One avenue to close this gap lies through the development of a recovery-focused psychotherapy for PASE Veterans. Developing recovery-oriented care, "a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential" is a VA priority; however, available treatments for suicidal Veterans do not place a strong focus on recovery. Decades of research have shown the importance of increasing Veterans hopefulness about the future, developing a positive self-identity, promoting Veterans' sense of self-empowerment and improving relationships. Continuous Identity-Cognitive Therapy (CI-CT) is a promising new manualized suicide intervention focused on improving Veterans sense of their life story and personal future, with goals similar to recovery-oriented care. The proposed study will assess and enhance the CI-CT treatment materials using Veteran feedback and acceptability and feasibility data. Then, with the guidance of scientific and Veteran consumer advisory boards, use these results to update the treatment. Findings will be used to make an updated adaptation of the treatment materials and to develop a research protocol for a pilot RCT of CI-CT for PASE Veterans. This study will develop and pilot test a well-specified, group-based intervention tailored to the unique needs of PASE Veterans. The results of the proposed study will provide data to 1) identify adaptations needed to optimize CI-CT for PASE Veterans: 2) identify possible benefits of CI-CT; 3) inform development of a pilot RCT of CI-CT for PASE Veterans. Read Less

This study evaluates the effects of an accelerated schedule of theta-burst stimulation, termed accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (aiTBS), on the neural networks underlying explicit and implicit suicidal cognition in inpatients with major depressive disorder. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two core intervention skills among adolescents with a history of engaging in at least 3 lifetime incidents of self-inflicted injury (SII), at least one of which was a suicide attempt of at least moderate lethality and moderate intent to die. The main questions it aims to answer are: Whether and when youth use skills in daily life, how quickly skill use declines after teaching, and whether exposure to life stress influences skill learning and retention. The Investigators also want to know whether brain-related, family-related, and physiology-related factors influence skills practice and any associated changes in self-harm/suicide risk and emotion dysregulation. Participants will complete surveys 5 times a day on their phones at baseline, and following each skill learning session. All participants will learn and practice the two skills with a parent while discussing topics they often argue about. During these discussions, participants will be hooked up to psychophysiological equipment to measure their cardiovascular functioning and their palm sweat. Participants' discussions will be coded for skill use and also for indices of family functioning. Approximately half of the participants will undergo two sets of fMRI scans to assess potential neural underpinnings of skill use. Read Less

People with psychotic disorders are excluded from most suicide-focused clinical trials despite incredibly high rates of completed suicide, and interventions that have been tested for this population have shown limited impact on suicide. Emotion dysregulation is a significant suicidogenic factor that is understudied in people with psychotic disorders. The investigators propose to implement and evaluate an intervention targeting emotion dysregulation in people with psychotic disorders while employing rigorous statistical modeling and measurement techniques including Ecological Momentary Assessment, which will support future advanced research on suicide and suicide prevention for this high-risk group. Read Less

Effective training requires repeated opportunities for skills practice with performance-based feedback, which is challenging to provide at scale. This research study focuses on developing an AI-based, coding and feedback tool ("LyssnCrisis") for implementation in a nationally utilized crisis call center, training counselors (call-takers) in suicide risk assessment skills, and evaluating LyssnCrisis to improve services and client outcomes. This research study's goal is to maximize the human capacity of call-takers to help assess their callers for risk of suicidality, and thus, a core aspect of the current research is developing a novel training process that supports human call-taker capacities. Read Less

Despite efforts to prevent suicide, US rates are climbing, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth. Digital tools, especially personal smartphones, are promising avenues to address these issues and can be used to provide a unique understanding of risk factors, including psychological distress, anhedonia and behavioral withdrawal, and sleep disturbance among high-risk individuals. This project aims to enhance the effectiveness of the delivery of preventative health care to youth at risk for suicide by developing a comprehensive digital platform that allows practitioners to integrate mobile sensing data and HIPAA-compliant client communication tools into their management of these young people. Read Less

The risk for suicide increases by nearly 50% in the first year that service members transition from the military to civilian life underscoring the need for effective strategies to facilitate help seeking among Veterans vulnerable to self-directed violence. Yet despite a great need for treatment, more than half of returning Veterans at risk for suicide do not initiate mental health services. VA has embarked on the regular use of communication campaigns as part of a public health approach designed to reach the larger Veteran population with messages promoting help seeking. However, what types of messages effectively change beliefs and behaviors for at-risk Veterans resistant to seek treatment is unclear. The main objective of this study is to develop and test the use of public messaging to increase treatment seeking among Veterans at risk for suicide and resistant to seek mental health care following separation from military service. This represents the first study to systematically develop public messaging strategies for populations at risk for suicide. Read Less

There is currently no readily available pharmacologic intervention for suicidal ideation, a true psychiatric emergency, in the Emergency Department (ED). Investigators aim to trial low-dose, intravenous ketamine, a drug with well-established use in treatment-resistant depression, for patients who present to the ED with suicidal ideation. Read Less

Few treatments target core features of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in Veterans. Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback can provide information regarding brain activation associated with suicide-specific rumination, defined as a "repetitive mental fixation on one's suicidal thoughts and intentions." The goal of this feasibility study is for Veterans to learn strategies for modulating activity within brain regions that have been demonstrated to contribute to the maintenance of rumination, as they receive neurofeedback feedback signals from the brain. Read Less

The aim of this study is to determine whether learning three skills for managing negative emotions and receiving reminders via smartphone to practice these skills reduces how often and how intensely one experiences emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. Read Less