Messaging for Suicide
This study is evaluating whether a public health approach can help Veterans at risk for suicide seek treatment.
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Suicide
Treatment Groups
This trial involves 2 different treatments. Messaging is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. Some patients will receive a placebo treatment. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
About The Treatment
Eligibility
This trial is for patients born any sex aged 18 and older. There are 6 eligibility criteria to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Measurement Requirements
This trial is evaluating whether Messaging will improve 1 primary outcome and 3 secondary outcomes in patients with Suicide. Measurement will happen over the course of baseline, 1-month and 2-month follow up.
Patient Q & A Section
Can suicide be cured?
The possibility of cure should not be removed from the mind of those who, with all their faults, are seriously ill. The medical profession cannot abandon the fact that medical research, while advancing our understanding of the disease and the mechanisms of disease, does not yet provide complete understanding and, therefore, does not yet offer cure. We should not consider suicide as a terminal disease but as a problem for which we needs solutions. A cure might be possible by a complete understanding of the pathways of suicide and more effective psychological treatment.
What causes suicide?
Suicide prevention activities need to be based upon a more extensive understanding of its causes as well as an increased understanding of how suicide is related to life experiences.
What is suicide?
The global burden of unintentional suicide stands at an estimated 1.5 million deaths. The burden is more than 4 times greater in developing countries than in developed countries. There are two main causes of suicide: interpersonal and external. Self-harm is one of the major risk factor for suicide and may serve as an alternative method of suicide.
What are the signs of suicide?
Most signs of suicide relate to an extreme mental state or are behavioural in nature. The symptoms of this extreme mental state include intense anguish, loss of contact with reality and a loss of motivation to live.
How many people get suicide a year in the United States?
For every suicide that occurs in the United States, two to three people fail to seek treatment. This reduces the number of potential survivors, which would likely worsen the magnitude of the impact of any future suicide.
What are common treatments for suicide?
The most common treatment for suicide among patients with psychiatric disorders was psychotherapy. Pharmacotherapy was used less often. Patients with a history of intentional, nonaccidental, or suicidal behavior, and patients and families who wish for their psychiatric health to be explored with a psychiatric perspective before considering medication treatments may be better candidates for intervention. Physicians have a role in recognizing patients and family members with suicidality and appropriately educating them about available non-pharmacologic treatment options.
What are the common side effects of messaging?
Messaging has shown to be very effective and could make a negative impact on other aspects of mental health such as suicidal ideation. To create a beneficial effect and help prevent suicide, more research should be done on the messages that promote the most realistic effects of messaging.
Is messaging typically used in combination with any other treatments?
While other treatment methods have the potential to reduce suicide-related message content, the present study did not find any evidence that message content can be effectively enhanced in the context of combined other intervention methods.
How does messaging work?
Participants in this study were generally satisfied with the text messaging program and saw text messaging to be useful to them as a way to seek health care. It appears that although patients at high risk for suicide receive counseling, no meaningful change in knowledge or intentions occurs. It is feasible to implement this protocol in a busy health care facility, and, based on existing literature, this program appears to be effective in reaching patients with suicidal thoughts.
Does messaging improve quality of life for those with suicide?
Results from a recent paper suggest that suicide bereaved persons in the U.K. are generally less satisfied with their quality of life and less likely to engage further with health services. However, if we are to make advances, then we have to be specific about how and by whom messages should and should not be delivered.
What is the average age someone gets suicide?
There appears to be a decline in suicide mortality with age, so when considering suicide rates, we should consider the average age. The average age of fatal self-immolation was 60.5 years. In countries where people die by suicide, then the average age of suicide is about 35 years, so it may not be appropriate to use the mortality by suicide rate as part of a global comparison.
Have there been any new discoveries for treating suicide?
This review shows little advancement over existing treatments for treatment-resistant suicidal behavior. However, there are several promising new agents that have more information to offer before being fully tested or launched. There is also a lot of research going into developing an antidepressant that will not worsen a depression already in its advanced stage, which may be an effective treatment.