A new study found that brief cognitive behavioural therapy for suicide prevention – when delivered remotely via video telehealth – reduces suicide attempts and suicidal ideation.
Suicide remains a pressing public health concern. An estimated 703,000 people die by suicide each year worldwide, according to The World Health Organization. In 2022, there were 49,449 suicides in the United States.
The randomised clinical trial of 96 U.S. adults with recent suicidal ideation and/or suicidal behaviour found that mental health therapists can see high-risk suicidal patients virtually both safely and effectively.
Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine led the study that is published online in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Brief cognitive behavioural therapy is a treatment that has been shown to reduce suicide attempts by as much as 60 per cent when compared to typical mental health care.
However, delivering this treatment remotely via video telehealth had never been tested. Until now.
The study was conducted between 2021 and 2023, during the height of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
“The impetus for this research question was the nearly overnight shift from mostly in-person to mostly virtual therapy appointments following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, high risk patients were considered inappropriate candidates for virtual healthcare, due to risk and liability concerns,” said principal investigator and Ohio State clinical psychologist Justin C. Baker, PhD.
“We wanted a way to ensure that those who needed care the most were able to receive care during the pandemic,” said Baker, who is the clinical director of Ohio State’s Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative (STRIVE) program.
Participants received one of these therapies:
- Brief cognitive behavioural therapy, a suicide-focused treatment that teaches patients how to manage and change distressing emotions and negative thinking
- Present-centred therapy, a goal-oriented treatment that helps participants identify adaptive responses to stressors
The study also showed that brief cognitive behavioural therapy led to significant reductions in suicide attempts when compared to present-centred therapy. Reductions in suicidal ideation occurred in both treatments.
Prior effectiveness trials have compared brief cognitive behavioral therapy to typical care, whereas this study compared it to another intervention that has been shown to reduce depression and suicidal thoughts, which is a higher comparison metric, Baker said.
This study provides critical insight into which kinds of treatments are most likely to lead to improved outcomes for those struggling with suicide. It also adds support to the effectiveness of this therapy for reducing suicidal behaviors.
“For those suffering with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, we have good, tested treatments that will lead to significant symptom reduction and improved quality of life,” said study co-investigator Craig Bryan, PsyD, professor in Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and director of its Suicide Prevention Program.
“Even with lessening restrictions, many therapists are keeping a portion of their telehealth practice post pandemic. This study has the potential to increase access to needed evidence-based treatments for those in rural and hard-to-reach areas.”
