Symposia
Schizophrenia / Psychotic Disorders
Emma Parrish, M.S.
San Diego State University / University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
San Diego, California
Cara Pozun, M.a., LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California
Samantha Chalker, PhD
Psychology Research Fellow
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California
Camila Martinez-Ceren, B.S.
Psychology Technician
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California
Christen Shriver, B.S.
Research Coordinator
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California
Jillian Carter, B.S.
Research Assistant
VA San Diego Healthcare System / University of California San Diego
San Diego, California
Brandon Ferragut, B.S.
Clinical Research Assistant
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California
Avery Quynh, B.S.
Staff Research Associate I
UCSD Department of Psychiatry
La Jolla, California
Vanessa Scott, B.S.
Staff Research Associate I
UCSD Department of Psychiatry
San Diego, California
Emily Treichler, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist & Research Fellow
University of California, San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, CA
Eric Granholm, PhD
Professor
UCSD
San Diego, CA
Dimitri Perivoliotis, PhD
Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry
VA San Diego Healthcare System / University of California San Diego
San Diego, California
Neal Doran, Ph.D.
Psychologist
VA San Diego Healthcare System, University of California, San Diego
San Diego, California
Colin Depp, PhD
Professor, Staff Psychologist
VA San Diego Healthcare System / University of California San Diego
San Diego, California
Blaire Ehret, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California
This presentation will discuss the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of two novel suicide prevention interventions for people with serious mental illness, both with the potential to impact interpersonal risk factors related to suicide.
First, this presentation will discuss SafeTy and Recovery Therapy (START), a brief, suicide-specific intervention for people with serious mental illness. START consists of four sessions of a cognitive behavioral intervention, augmented by smartphone prompts that build upon in-person therapy content. In a small randomized-controlled pilot trial, one group received mobile-augmented START (N=39) and one group received the cognitive behavioral intervention alone (N=38). Notably, across both conditions, 26% of participants did not attend the first session. At a 24-week follow up, participants in both groups had decreased suicidal ideation as measured by the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (mobile augmentation: Cohen’s D = 1.0; without mobile augmentation: Cohen’s D = 0.53).
Second, the presentation will cover the pilot trial of Caring Cards (N=21), an intervention where Veterans with lived experience of psychosis create encouraging cards sent to other Veterans at increased risk for suicide. This intervention is a low-cost and low-intensity intervention with the potential to benefit both card makers and recipients, providing hope and increasing social connectedness. Post-treatment, participants had decreased scores on the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (Cohen’s D = .56), which assesses perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belonging, and 70% of card-makers remained in the group. No changes were observed on the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation.
Both the START and Caring Cards studies show that suicide-specific interventions are feasible, acceptable, and potentially beneficial for people with serious mental illness. However, treatment retention may be a challenge for people who are in crisis.