Clinical Research Directory

Low Amplitude Pulse Seizure Therapy Versus Standard Ultra-Brief Right Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy

This protocol proposes an initial randomized clinical trial that includes all patients with suicidal ideation (SI) at baseline, and with SI as the primary outcome measure to examine whether Right Unilateral Low-Amplitude Pulse - Seizure Therapy (RUL LAP-ST) treatment has more magnitude and rate of remission of SI as conventional pulse amplitude Right Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy (RUL ECT) (based on our prior secondary analysis). Our central hypothesis is that RUL LAP-ST has significantly less cognitive/memory side effects (no memory side effects were noted in our prior studies for 500mA and 600mA) and thus is more favorable in terms of side effects compared to RUL conventional pulse amplitude ECT, while maintaining better anti-suicidal effect.

Digital Mental Health Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults

This is a feasibility trial of a digital mental health intervention aimed at young adults (ages 18-25) with nonsuicidal self-injury and who are not currently engaged in mental health treatment. We will pilot three arms: a self-guided DMHI, the DMHI with low-intensity coaching, or an active control which will involve the delivery of non-interactive psychoeducational content via the same app interface. The primary goals of this project are to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention and trial procedures in preparation for a fully-powered randomized-controlled trial.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Psychiatric Interventions on the Inpatient Unit

This study will monitor the symptoms of patients who have received an intervention on the psychiatric inpatient unit at Stanford hospital up to 6 months after they have received the intervention. Additionally, the acceptability and feasibility of interventions will be assessed using clinician and patient questionnaires.

Motivational Interviewing to Address Suicidal Ideation for Veterans at High Risk for Suicide

The purpose of this project is to conduct a randomized control trial with 470 Veterans to examine the impact of a revised version of Motivational Interviewing to Address Suicidal Ideation (MI-SI-R) on risk for suicide attempts and suicidal ideation when compared to high quality usual care.

Suicide Intervention for Alaska Native Youth

Two interventions will be delivered virtually to American Indian/Alaska Native youth who have been hospitalized with suicidal attempt, suicidal ideation, or associated risk behaviors, including alcohol-related injury.

Intravenous Ketamine for Acute Suicidal Crisis and Psychiatric Hospital Length of Stay

This randomized, double-blind, active placebo-controlled superiority trial will evaluate whether intravenous esketamine reduces time to psychiatric hospital discharge in adults hospitalized because of acute suicide risk. A total of 106 participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive intravenous esketamine or midazolam as an active placebo. Participants assigned to esketamine will receive eight 40-minute intravenous infusions at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg administered twice weekly. The primary outcome is time from the first study infusion to psychiatric hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes include suicidal ideation and behavior, depressive symptoms, psychological pain, hopelessness, global clinical improvement, safety, tolerability, dissociative symptoms, and healthcare costs. Exploratory analyses will investigate peripheral inflammatory markers, BDNF, and polygenic risk scores as potential predictors or mediators of treatment response. Clinical follow-up will continue through Week 12.

Developing a Recovery-Oriented Suicide Prevention Program for Young People at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

Young people at clinical high risk for psychosis are more likely to experience suicide thoughts than the general population, but there are few suicide prevention programs designed specifically for them. This study will develop and evaluate a recovery-oriented suicide prevention group program for young people at clinical high risk for psychosis. The program will be led by a clinician and a peer with lived experience. It will help participants identify reasons for living, build hope, set meaningful recovery goals, strengthen social connections, and learn strategies to better remember and use suicide prevention strategies developed during the program. Caregivers will also be invited to participate in a session to learn ways to support their young person. The study will first gather feedback from participants, caregivers, clinicians, and community advisors to refine the program. Researchers will then compare the program plus standard care with standard care alone to determine whether it improves personal recovery and increases participants' ability to remember and use suicide prevention strategies. Researchers will also collect feedback from participants and program staff to better understand how the program can be integrated into early psychosis services.

Evaluation of a Multi-Layered Digital Phenotyping, Digital Safety Plan, and Pharmacogenomic Intervention for Suicide Prevention in Adults With Depression

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a multi-layered digital and pharmacogenomic intervention works to prevent suicide re-attempts in adults with depression. It will also evaluate the safety and effectiveness of continuous digital monitoring, digital safety plans, and precision medication management. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the multi-layered intervention lower the rate of suicide re-attempts over a 6-month period compared to standard care? * How do digital tools and genetic-guided prescribing affect depressive symptom severity and treatment-emergent adverse drug reactions? Researchers will compare three groups: participants receiving standard care plus digital monitoring, participants receiving standard care plus digital monitoring and an interactive digital safety plan, and participants receiving standard care plus digital monitoring, a digital safety plan, and pharmacogenetic-guided care. Participants will: * Install study smartphone applications (MeMind and eB2 Mindcare) to track daily mood, stress, and activity patterns through active and passive digital phenotyping. * Authorize historical digital trace extraction via Google Takeout and provide baseline blood samples for genetic, multi-omics, and pharmacokinetic profiling. * Complete regular clinical checkups and questionnaire assessments at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 24.

Acceptability and Feasibility of Reframe-IT+U for Suicidality in University Students.

Mental health in university students is a growing concern worldwide. In Chile, previous studies have shown high rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicidal risk in this population. This study seeks to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based intervention for the indicated prevention of suicidality in undergraduate students, and also to explore its impact on reducing suicidal ideation. A quasi-experimental before-and-after design will be used with a sample of students from the Universidad de los Andes who present mild to moderate suicidal risk. As this is a pilot study, a sample size calculation is not required, but we expect to recruit 20 subjects, which will allow us to conduct acceptability and feasibility assessments and collect data for a larger-scale study. A follow-up will consist of repeating the initial assessment questionnaire, which will be completed two and four months after the intervention. The methodology includes an initial interview to assess inclusion and exclusion criteria, signing informed consent, and developing a safety plan with the students. Following this, six weekly sessions (three in-person and three with digital components) of 60 minutes each will be held, focusing on emotional regulation, cognitive restructuring, and problem-solving. The intervention will be facilitated by trained psychologists, under the supervision of a trained psychologist or psychiatrist. To assess acceptability, the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) will be primarily used. To assess outcomes, validated instruments will be applied, such as the Columbia Suicide Risk Scale (C-SSRS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, the Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12) for quality of life, the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) for stress tolerance, the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-Positive (CAPE-P15) for psychotic symptoms, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-E) for emotional regulation, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) for problem-solving, and the Cognitive-behavioural Therapy Skills Questionnaire (CBTSQ) for cognitive-behavioral skills. Reduction in suicidal ideation, satisfaction with the intervention, and program adherence will be measured. The study hopes that the prevention program, along with the proposed assessments and procedures, will be appropriate and feasible in a university setting. This will allow progress toward a larger randomized controlled trial. Furthermore, it is expected that students in the intervention group will experience a reduction in suicidal ideation.

Suicide Prevention Integration Into Task-shifted Mental Health Interventions

Investigators will conduct a pilot clinical trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a Suicide Prevention Package (SuPP) within an existing task-shifted depression intervention in rural Pakistan. This pilot research lays the groundwork for a future project to scale a package for multi-level suicide prevention strategies that can be integrated into community based mental health programs, particularly targeting individuals living in low-resourced settings. As the model is designed to be easily adapted and integrated, investigators anticipate the findings will be valuable for all researchers looking to improve population health and mental health services in disadvantaged settings.

Deep TMS for PTSD With Suicidal Ideation

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (DTMS) using the H1-coil can safely and effectively reduce suicidal ideation in adults diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The main questions it aims to answer are: (1) Does DTMS reduce suicidal ideation in adults with PTSD? (2) Does DTMS improve PTSD symptoms?. DTMS is administered together with a brief exposure procedure intended to activate trauma-related neural circuits before stimulation.

Development of a Treatment Prognosis Calculator for the Prevention of Suicide

The goal of this interventional study is to develop and test a treatment prognosis calculator to identify which service members with suicidal ideation or behavior are likely to respond well to the current standard of care treatment and which should instead receive Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) as a first-line treatment. The main aims of the study are: * Aim 1: To develop a novel treatment prognostic calculator to predict response to treatment as usual (TAU) and identify treatment-seeking military personnel who are unlikely to respond adequately to TAU for the reduction of suicidal ideation. * Aim 2: To evaluate the performance of the treatment prognosis calculator in a new sample of treatment-seeking military personnel and determine whether BCBT is more effective than TAU for those patients who are predicted not to respond adequately to TAU. Participants will receive mental health treatment as it is typically administered by their mental healthcare treatment team. Members of their mental healthcare treatment team may receive intensive training in BCBT. After their provider has received this training, they may use this treatment as part of standard of care treatment. The timing of this training will be determined randomly. Participants will complete self-report assessments at the beginning of the study (baseline) as well as 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after their participant begins. These assessments will include questions about feelings, thoughts, moods, impulses, substance use, and behavior.

Alleviating Suicidality by Combining Psychotherapy and IM Ketamine for Rapid Treatment in the Emergency Department

Participants are asked to take part in this research study after coming to the Emergency Department with thoughts or behaviors of seriously hurting themselves. There are very few resources to treat acute suicidal thoughts or behaviors in an emergency department. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of combining an intramuscular (IM) injection of ketamine and Crisis Response Planning (CRP), a single, 45-60 minute psychological intervention with a therapist, to quickly reduce suicidal thoughts in patients treated in an emergency department (ED) prior to being admitted to the hospital.

Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention for Suicide Prevention (CRISP 70+) for Suicidal Older Adults in a Swedish Geropsychiatric Setting

The overall aim of the project is to develop and test the feasibility and preliminary effect of a manualized psychosocial intervention Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention for Suicide Prevention (CRISP 70+) for older adults with suicidal behavior, an intervention that includes the optional participation of a close relative.

Exploratory Analysis of Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Psychological Processes Implied in Risk-taking and Suicidal Behaviors, in Adult and Adolescent At-risk

In a recent report, Santé Publique France (2023), reported that 4.2% of 18-85 year-olds had thought about suicide in the last 12 months, and 6.8% had attempted suicide in their lifetime and 0.5% in the last year. Even more recently, the DREES (Direction de la recherche, des études, de l'évaluation et des statistiques auprès des Ministères Sociaux) published a report on May 16, 2024, showing a sharp rise in hospitalization rates for self-inflicted acts among female patients aged between 10 and 24, with a peak around age 15. Two-thirds of these hospitalizations for self-inflicted injuries are related to deliberate drug intoxication. Depression, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (among other psychological disorders) are known risk factors for suicide, which is the leading cause of death in this clinical context. In addition to these formalized psychopathological elements, risk behaviors underpinned by psychological processes common to suicide attempts are suspected and need to be studied in depth. Research into psychiatry and the psychopathology of suicide has identified a number of risk and protective factors. These psychological determinants - or processes - act alongside other key factors such as the environment and social ties. Life contexts can have an impact on health, and more specifically on the psychopathology of individuals, through disturbances of a biological, psychological and social nature. It is important to be able to describe what processes are at work and how they explain the development and maintenance of behaviours that put one's life and health at risk. This is part of a preventive approach to mental health. We suggest that the study of psychological processes such as suicidal ruminations, impulsivity and interpersonal needs (e.g. the interpersonal theory of suicide) is necessary to understand their involvement in risk-taking and suicidal behavior. To our knowledge, few studies of this type are underway in France, particularly with vulnerable clinical populations (adolescents/adults). The inclusion of a process-centered approach (Kinderman, 2015), in a transdiagnostic and preventive way, constitutes an innovative approach.

Gamified Virtual Reality Exercise for Suicidal Ideation in Older Adults

This is a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a gamified virtual reality (VR)-based exercise program in reducing suicidal ideation among community-dwelling older adults, compared with a conventional exercise control condition, and to assess the durability of effects over a 30-day follow-up period. A total of 220 eligible older adults (men and women) aged 60 years and above with clinically confirmed suicidal ideation will be randomized (1:1) to either a 5-week gamified VR-based exercise intervention or a conventional exercise control condition. Both interventions are delivered three times per week for five weeks (15 sessions total). The primary outcome is suicidal ideation severity, measured using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) at baseline, post-intervention, and 30-day follow-up. Sex differences in intervention response will be examined as a secondary objective. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Sports Sciences Research Center (Approval ID: IR.SSRC.REC.1404.029).

Youth Suicide Prevention: CAMS-BI vs. Safety Planning in a Randomized Trial

This study outlines a randomized controlled trial evaluating two brief suicide-specific interventions for adolescents aged 12-17 who are hospitalized for suicidal ideation or attempts. Suicide remains a leading cause of death among youth, and many adolescents are discharged from inpatient care without targeted, suicide-focused treatment, contributing to high rates of readmission and ongoing risk. This study seeks to address that gap by comparing the effectiveness of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality-Brief Intervention (CAMS-BI) with the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention (SPI), both delivered as single-session interventions during inpatient hospitalization. Participants (N=118) will be randomly assigned to receive either CAMS-BI or SPI. CAMS-BI is a therapeutic, collaborative framework that focuses on identifying and addressing the underlying psychological drivers of suicidality, while SPI is a structured, practical approach that emphasizes immediate safety through coping strategies, support systems, and means restriction. Following the intervention, participants will be monitored for 90 days post-discharge, with follow-ups at 30, 60, and 90 days. The primary outcome is the rate of psychiatric readmissions and suicide-related emergency department visits within 90 days of discharge. Secondary outcomes include changes in suicidal ideation, measured by the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, and caregiver confidence in managing their child's safety. Additional measures include distress levels, hopelessness, treatment satisfaction, and engagement. The study hypothesizes that CAMS-BI will result in lower readmission rates, greater reductions in suicidal ideation, and improved caregiver confidence compared to SPI. Both interventions produce individualized safety or stabilization plans that are shared with patients and caregivers and incorporated into discharge planning to support continuity of care. Safety protocols are emphasized throughout the study, given the high-risk population. Participants receive standard clinical care, crisis resources, and close monitoring, with procedures in place to address any escalation in suicide risk. Data will be collected using secure systems, and confidentiality will be maintained through de-identification and controlled access. Overall, this study aims to determine whether a rapid, inpatient, suicide-focused intervention can improve short-term outcomes for high-risk youth and reduce the likelihood of rehospitalization, ultimately informing scalable approaches to suicide prevention in clinical settings.

Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Implementation of Jaspr Health in Emergency Department- Part B

This Study will evaluate the implementation of a multi-component suicide prevention technology (Jaspr Health) that facilitates delivery of suicided-related evidence-based practices (EBPs) while replacing wasted waiting time with productive time in the Emergency Departments (EDs). The EBPs satisfy several key performance elements for systems adopting Zero Suicide. A Complementary Randomized Controlled Trial and Real-World Study for Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Implementation Study Design (CREID) will be used

Improving Care, Accelerating Recovery and Education

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the I-CARE program in children who are in a medical hospital awaiting inpatient mental health treatment. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can the I-CARE program be used at the medical hospitals and do the patients and hospital staff like the program? * Does the I-CARE program lower patients' emotional distress, thoughts about suicide or suicide attempts? Patients will complete as many of the 7 I-CARE videos as possible during their stay at the medical hospital and fill out online surveys. There are workbook activities that go with each I-CARE video. A hospital staff member will help the patient do the videos and workbook activities.

Mind After Midnight

This study examines whether wakefulness during the biological night (2:00-4:00 AM) is associated with increased negative mood, impaired decision-making, and suicidal thoughts. Adults with a history of suicidal ideation in the past six months will complete laboratory and home-based assessments under varying levels of sleep pressure. Participants will be evaluated during late-night wakefulness and under conditions of both higher and lower sleep pressure. The goal of the study is to better understand the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may contribute to elevated suicide risk during nocturnal wakefulness.

Efficacy of the I-CARE Digital Health Intervention

When presenting to an ED with suicide, self-harm or other mental health crises, youth may also experience "boarding", which is defined by the Joint Commission as "the practice of holding patients in the ED or another temporary location after the decision to admit or transfer has been made." A recent national survey of 88 US acute care hospitals conducted by our research team found that 98.9% of hospitals were boarding youth awaiting psychiatric hospitalization, for an average of 2-3 days. However, as illustrated in a systemic review, little research has focused on developing interventions to support youth during this highly vulnerable time. 3 I-CARE is a modular, blended digital health intervention facilitated by individuals who are not mental health clinical staff to teach youth evidence-based psychosocial skills during the boarding period. This study will evaluate I-CARE's efficacy using a patient-level randomized clinical trial (RCT), randomizing youth to receive standard safety supervision or I-CARE in addition to standard safety supervision. If found to the efficacious, I-CARE could be scaled-up in new settings with limited resources and has the potential to significantly improve the quality of care received by youth experiencing boarding.

Evaluation of a Brief, Scalable Module to Mitigate Suicidal Ideation Among Youth (Phase 2)

This project embeds the "Give to Others" (GO) talk therapy module in a standard, outpatient therapy protocol to demonstrate target engagement in the context of ongoing clinical care and testing the ability of the GO module to engage the target in a rigorous randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the intervention. We will target perceived burdensomeness (PB) among 80 clinic-referred youths (ages 12-17) who experience subacute suicidal ideation (SI; i.e., positive suicide risk screen; stable safety status).

Targeted Alternating Current and Cognitive Training Intervention for Cognitive Control in Bipolar Disorders

This study is testing whether a type of gentle brain stimulation, combined with computer-based brain training exercises, can help improve thinking skills in Veterans with bipolar disorder. Veterans with bipolar disorder may have difficulty with skills like stopping to think before acting or adjusting their behavior when things change - problems that can affect daily life and have been linked to a higher risk of serious outcomes. In this study, Veterans with bipolar disorder will complete brain training exercises at home on a computer, paired with a mild electrical brain stimulation called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), delivered through a small headband worn on the forehead. Some participants will receive real stimulation and some will receive an inactive ("sham") version, and neither participants nor most study staff will know which one a person is receiving. All participants will also complete brain wave recordings (EEG), interviews, questionnaires, and various thinking tasks before and after the study to measure any changes. A separate group of Veterans without bipolar disorder will complete the same tests, without any brain stimulation or training, to help researchers understand how much change would happen naturally just from taking the same tests more than once. The goal of this research is to learn whether this combined treatment approach is safe, tolerable, and helpful for improving thinking skills in Veterans with bipolar disorder, and whether Veterans find it an acceptable treatment worth continuing.

Examining the Relationship Between Ongoing Alcohol Use, Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Related Constructs, and Behavioral Economic Decision-Making.

This study will evaluate the relationship between alcohol use, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and behavioral economic decision-making. Participants will complete surveys over approximately 12 weeks and will be randomly assigned to receive access to a self-guide computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT) program either immediately or after a waiting period. The study will compare participants with and without recent suicidal thoughts and behaviors to better understand factors associated with alcohol use and engagement with treatment.