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Yale study finds suicide-prevention app effective for psychiatric inpatients
A new study conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine has determined that a mobile phone app providing suicide-specific therapy decreased suicidal thoughts among high-risk psychiatric patients.
According to the research, the mobile therapy app OTX-202 cut the rate of post-discharge suicide attempts by 58.3% among patients with a history of such behavior. Researchers described this as a significant breakthrough for a population prone to repeated suicidal tendencies.
Beyond preventing attempts, the app also helped sustain reductions in suicidal thoughts for up to 24 weeks after psychiatric hospitalization. By comparison, patients using a control app alongside standard treatment initially improved, but their suicidal thoughts returned by week 24.
In the wake of the study's findings, the team behind it claims OTX-202 could be a valuable tool for maintaining mental health gains during the vulnerable period following discharge.
Targeted therapy crucial as suicide rates increase
In the US, suicide ranks among the leading causes of death, with its impact felt across multiple age groups. It is the second leading cause of death for those aged 10–14 and 25–34, the third for individuals aged 15–24, and the fourth for people aged 35–44. Over the past two decades, the national suicide rate has climbed by more than 33%, underscoring the urgent need for effective prevention strategies, the study outlines.
More than one million adults in the US engage in nonfatal suicidal behavior each year, with nearly 500,000 hospitalized. Suicide and attempts at taking one's own life cost an estimated $500 billion annually, yet it remains the only leading cause of death without approved prescription treatments for most at-risk patients.
According to the study's co-first author Craig Bryan, professor at Ohio State University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and director of its suicide prevention program, suicide-specific therapy can be highly effective at reducing suicidal thoughts and urges, but access to trained therapists after hospital discharge is often limited.
The mobile app OTX-202 may help close this gap by delivering targeted therapy directly to patients, supporting their recovery and reducing the risk of relapse during the critical post-discharge period.
Multi-site randomized trial revealed promising results
As part of a multi-site, double-blind randomized controlled trial, researchers from Yale and Ohio State evaluated OTX-202 among 339 psychiatric inpatients across six US hospitals. Participants were assigned either to the OTX-202 app or to an active control app, while being administered standard care.
While the control app offered safety planning and psychoeducation, OTX-202 delivered a targeted suicide-specific therapy module. Results showed that patients using OTX-202 were significantly more likely to improve, as measured by the Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Suicide-Change (CGI-SSC) scale—a standardized clinician-rated tool for tracking symptom severity and progress across diverse settings.
"Patients and those who care for them do not have access to reliable and effective tools and resources to reduce future suicide risk. This population faces arguably the biggest gap in access to effective interventions of any leading killer. The potential clinical and population health impact of this new option is extraordinary," stated senior author Seth Feuerstein, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale, in a media release issued by the university.
