Effectiveness and Implementation of eScreening in Post 9/11 Transition Programs
DepressionStress Disorders2 moreElectronic screening is effective for timely detection of, and intervention for, suicidal ideation and other mental health symptoms. The VA eScreening program is a patient self-report electronic screening system that has shown promise for the efficient and effective collection of mental and physical health information among Veterans. However, additional effectiveness and implementation research is warranted to evaluate the impact of eScreening within VHA. This study will address questions of the impact of eScreening compared to screening as usual, while evaluating a multi-component implementation strategy (MCIS) for optimal enterprise rollout of eScreening in VA Transition Care Management clinics.
Using Telehealth to Improve Outcomes in Veterans at Risk for Suicide
SuicideOverview. The investigators will randomize 120 Veterans in this 3-site trial over 16 months. Eligible Veterans will include those to be discharged for a hospitalization for suicidal ideation. Baseline data collection and randomization will occur at discharge. The 3 month intervention will have study assessments at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-discharge. The study's primary outcome measure is suicidal ideation (measured with the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation[BSS] and secondarily with the Columbia Scale for Suicidality C-SSRS). Intervention Components. The control condition will consist of Veterans randomized to VHA-SRM (Suicide Risk Monitoring). The experimental condition will be the telehealth system (TES) + VHA-SRM (Suicide Risk Monitoring) intervention. Veterans randomized to the telehealth system will receive the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system monitoring in addition to VHA-SRM and will receive training on how to use the TES from the research coordinator. Veterans can access the IVR as a telephonic device accessed by a local or toll-free number and can use a 'plain old telephone system' (POTS), Cellular phone or Internet phone connected to their phone service provider. Participants will be instructed to interact daily with the TES system daily. Because of safety concerns, questions pertaining to suicidal behavior will be asked daily; to avoid repetition, all other questions will be asked every 3rd day. Once participants complete the questions on the telehealth device, their responses will be automatically uploaded and checked by trained VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) nurses every 4 hours, during regular daytime hours of 9-5. VAPHS will serve as the central site retrieving downloads for all sites. Color-coded risk triage level designations based on potential responses, provide guidance regarding next steps. The protocol for assessing suicidal patients will follow standard VA procedures, outlined in each medical center's safety plan for suicidal patients.
Telehealth to Improve Prevention of Suicide (TIPS)
Suicide RiskThe study will rigorously evaluate whether synchronous, within-visit telemental health evaluation and intervention services can successfully overcome poor access to behavioral health and substandard suicide-related care in emergency departments (EDs), including evaluating the impact on system metrics, a primary goal of RFA-MH-20-226. Notably, the study will surpass this primary requirement, because it will extend understanding of the relative added value of the ED-SAFE post-visit telephone intervention and will create knowledge about key factors related to implementation and sustainment.
An Exposure-Based Implementation Strategy to Decrease Clinician Anxiety Around Suicide Prevention...
Implementation ScienceStudy objectives are to design and pilot test a novel, exposure-based implementation strategy (EBIS) directly targeting clinician anxiety and low self-efficacy for use of evidence-based suicide screening, assessment, and intervention (SSAI) strategies with patients at risk for suicide in community settings. Early phases of this study will develop the EBIS in partnership with community clinicians (n = 15). The last phase of this study is a pilot clinical trial in which 40 community mental health clinicians will be randomized to receive either implementation as usual (IAU) or IAU+EBIS.
Neural Mechanisms and Predictors of an Ultra-Brief Suicide Prevention Strategy
SuicideThe current study is a clinical trial, meaning a research study in which human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related behavioral outcomes. Specifically, male and female adults with current suicidal intent will be randomly assigned to receive either a 1-hour session of crisis response planning (CRP) or a 1-hour session of standard crisis risk management (Treatment as Usual). The effects of both conditions on changes in emotion regulation, behavioral inhibition, stress reactivity, and suicide risk will be evaluated post-intervention and at six-month follow-up. Additional assessments of changes in mood and suicidality will be collected daily during the first 10-days following intervention, and then monthly for a duration of six months. A cohort of healthy controls is included in the study but are not randomized to either treatment condition. The investigators hypothesize the following: 1) A single session of CRP will acutely change suicide risk and 2) Individuals who receive CRP will show sustained improvements in measures of suicidality when compared to individuals who received the Treatment as Usual intervention.
Adaptation and Evaluation of the KEEP Model
DepressionAnxiety3 moreThis study capitalizes on an opportunity to formally evaluate local adaptations of "Keeping Foster and Kinship Parents Supported and Trained" (KEEP), an evidence-based foster parent intervention, to reduce mental health disparities among child welfare-involved youth and improve care quality and long-term outcomes for Native, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and sexual and gender minority youth. The knowledge gained from the study will impact all current and future large-scale implementations of KEEP and will bolster our scientific understanding the impact of KEEP on youth mental health outcomes.
Clairity in a University Mental Health Clinic
DepressionAnxiety2 moreThis is a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the Clairity tool within the university setting for students who are being seen by a mental health provider.
Couples Intervention to Improve Mental Health
SuicideOver the last decade, suicide rates have risen within the military and have remained high. Converging evidence suggests that suicide prevention efforts may be enhanced by explicitly including family members in treatment. The study's objectives are to test the effect of the CCRP, a targeted single session couples intervention on suicide ideation among military service members and Veterans, and to understand how the use of the CCRP impacts suicide risk during the 6 months immediately postdischarge from a psychiatric inpatient unit.
Engaging Suicidal Patients in Mental Health Treatment
SuicideDepression3 moreThe investigators will identify characteristics of suicidal patients who do or do not attend a first mental health visit following referral using administrative data. Then, the investigators will apply established approaches to contextual inquiry to identify barriers and facilitators to mental health treatment attendance for individuals at risk of suicide. Using established procedures from implementation science and behavioral economics, the investigators will then leverage the insights gleaned from Aims 1 and 2, relevant theories and frameworks, and the extant literature to develop preliminary strategies to support attendance at first mental health visit. Strategies will be developed in collaboration with a team of experts in suicide, implementation science, and behavioral economics. These preliminary strategies will then be iteratively tested and refined. The investigators also will assess putative mechanism using behavioral tasks and self-report tools.
Improving Treatment Outcomes for Suicidal Veterans With PTSD
Suicidal IdeationSuicide2 moreThe efficacy of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for reducing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across populations including military personnel and veterans is well supported. CPT also contributes to significant and rapid reductions in suicide ideation among people diagnosed with PTSD, although available evidence suggests this effect decays over time. Studies also show that approximately 1 in 6 people who begin CPT without suicide ideation will subsequently report suicidal thoughts at some point during or soon after completing treatment. Research focused on improving CPT's effects on suicide risk is therefore warranted. The primary aim of this study is to determine if the integration of a crisis response plan (CRP)--an empirically-supported procedure for reducing suicide ideation and attempts--can lead to faster reductions in suicide ideation among acutely suicidal veterans receiving CPT and prevent the development of suicide ideation among veterans who begin CPT without suicide ideation.