Oxytocin for Self-Harm Risk

Overseen By Thomas E Joiner, Ph.D.

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Florida State University

Disqualifiers: Trypanophobia, Psychosis, Life-threatening suicide risk, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to explore whether feeling less human (self-dehumanization) increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and affects oxytocin levels, a hormone linked to social bonding. Participants will experience a futuristic scenario designed to make them feel like machines, and their reactions will be compared to a control group. The study will examine whether changes in oxytocin levels connect to shifts in suicidal thinking. Suitable participants are biological females with regular menstrual cycles who have experienced suicidal thoughts and feel moderately dehumanized. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on mental health and social bonding.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this self-dehumanization method is safe?

Research has shown that feeling less human can affect levels of oxytocin, a hormone that aids social connections. Low oxytocin levels have been linked to a higher risk of self-harm and suicide, prompting researchers to study this further.

For safety, the study examines feeling less human as a mental exercise, not as a drug or physical treatment. Past research has not indicated any direct harm from this type of mental exercise. However, close monitoring of participants is crucial, as the exercise might temporarily increase feelings of being less human. This could lead to a short-term rise in suicidal thoughts, which researchers plan to address immediately.

The goal is to understand how these feelings impact mental health, not to introduce a new drug or physical treatment. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the trial on self-dehumanization for self-harm risk because it explores a novel psychological intervention that likens individuals to machines. Unlike standard treatments for self-harm, which often focus on addressing underlying mental health issues like depression or anxiety through therapy and medication, this innovative approach investigates how changing self-perception could influence behavior. By examining whether viewing oneself through a mechanistic lens can impact self-harm tendencies, researchers hope to uncover new insights into how altering self-concept might reduce risk, offering a fresh angle beyond traditional therapeutic methods.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for reducing self-harm risk?

This trial will explore the effects of self-dehumanization on mental health, focusing on its potential link to self-harm risk. Research has shown that feeling less human, known as self-dehumanization, is associated with mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts. Studies have found that individuals experiencing this may feel more hopeless and face a higher risk of self-harm, indicating that self-dehumanization could be a risk factor for suicide. Additionally, it might affect levels of oxytocin, a hormone that aids social connections. Understanding these links could lead to new ways to support mental health. Participants in this trial will be assigned to either a mechanistic self-dehumanization condition or a control condition to further investigate these associations. ^{1 2 4 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals with arthritis, self-harm tendencies, or depersonalization syndrome. Participants will be involved in activities like personality tests and interviews, and must be willing to undergo a blood draw.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a woman with a regular menstrual cycle lasting 26-30 days.

At least a moderate level of self-dehumanization (sum score of 12 or greater) and lifetime suicidal ideation

Exclusion Criteria

Life-threatening suicide risk requiring appropriate safety measures (e.g., hospitalization)

I have a severe fear of needles.

I cannot fast for 10 hours due to a health condition.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Experimental Induction

Participants undergo self-dehumanization induction or control condition, including pre- and post-induction blood draws and self-report assessments

1.5 hours

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in suicidal ideation and oxytocin levels post-experimental induction

1 hour

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Self-Dehumanization

Trial Overview The study aims to see if feeling less human (self-dehumanization) affects the risk of suicide by comparing people's thoughts and oxytocin levels before and after being made to feel machine-like versus a normal condition.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Mechanistic Self-Dehumanization Condition Experimental Treatment 6 Interventions

A self-dehumanized future condition (i.e., a futuristic paradigm that likens the individual to a machine)

Group II: Control Condition Active Control 5 Interventions

Control Condition

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Florida State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

234

Recruited

41,100+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11720136/

Measurement of Dehumanization, Self ... This study aimed to investigate the association between hetero- or self-dehumanization and personality traits of healthcare professionals.

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154623000116

Dehumanization and mental health: clinical implications ... Self-dehumanization can be a factor in mental health conditions (e.g. psychosis). •. Self-dehumanization may act as a conduit between suicidal ideation and ...

3. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00223891.2024.2367543

The Self-Dehumanization Scale: Three Studies on Its ... This work develops and tests a generalizable measure of self-dehumanization, perceiving oneself as nonhuman, as a tool to further understand and assess ...

4. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/381790017_The_Self-Dehumanization_Scale_Three_Studies_on_Its_Development_and_Validation

The Self-Dehumanization Scale: Three Studies on Its ... To address this gap, we present a Self-Dehumanization Scale (SDS). This work incorporates evidence from three studies examining the reliability, validity, and ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11324389/

Dehumanization and the Association With Nonsuicidal Self ... Dehumanization has been presented as a potentially novel risk factor toward aspects of self-harm; thus, this study assessed the perception of ...

6. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06710964

Inducing Self-Dehumanization to Examine Oxytocin and ... Low oxytocin levels have been linked to self-dehumanization, reduced social reengagement, and heightened suicide risk, highlighting its potential as a target ...

7. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2039-4403/14/3/167

Validation of Two Instruments for the Measurement ... Two validated measures of (self- and hetero-) animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization measures were developed for the assessment of dehumanization among ...