Innovative Mobile App Significantly Lowers Suicidal Behavior in High-Risk Patients

A groundbreaking study by researchers from Yale School of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has revealed that a mobile application specifically designed for suicide prevention has successfully decreased suicidal behavior among individuals with high psychiatric risk. The app, known as OTX-202, showed a remarkable reduction of 58.3% in post-discharge suicide attempts among patients who had previously engaged in self-harm.

The findings, published in the esteemed journal JAMA Network Open, highlight the app's efficacy in sustaining reduced suicidal thoughts for up to 24 weeks following hospitalization. In contrast, patients utilizing a control app, which provided standard treatment alongside safety planning and psychoeducation, exhibited temporary improvements that did not last beyond the initial weeks.

Craig Bryan, PsyD, a professor at Ohio State's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, emphasized the challenge of accessing qualified therapists trained in suicide-specific therapy after hospital discharge. He noted that OTX-202 could bridge this critical gap, offering continuous support during a vulnerable period.

Suicide remains a pressing public health concern, ranking among the top ten causes of death in the United States. It is particularly lethal for young individuals, being the second leading cause of death for those aged 10-14 and 25-34, and the third for those aged 15-24. Since 1999, the incidence of suicide has surged by over 33%, with more than one million adults each year engaging in nonfatal suicidal behaviors and nearly 500,000 requiring hospitalization following suicide attempts.

Each year, the economic burden of suicide attempts and completions is estimated at $500 billion, underlining the urgent need for effective and scalable interventions. Notably, suicide is the only leading cause of death without specific prescription products available for most at-risk patients.

Patricia Simon, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor Adjunct at Yale School of Medicine, stressed the importance of timely, effective interventions during the critical weeks and months post-crisis. OTX-202 addresses this need by providing a scalable and affordable solution for high-risk individuals.

The research team conducted a rigorous multi-site, double-blind randomized controlled trial involving 339 psychiatric inpatients across six diverse hospitals in the United States. Participants were assigned either to the OTX-202 app or an active control app, both in conjunction with standard treatment. The OTX-202 app offered a tailored suicide-specific therapy module, which significantly outperformed the control app in clinical improvement, as measured by the Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Suicide-Change (CGI-SSC) scale.

Senior author Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD, from Yale, remarked on the lack of reliable tools available for patients and their caregivers to mitigate future suicide risks. He highlighted the potential of OTX-202 to make a significant impact on clinical practices and population health outcomes.

For more detailed insights, refer to the original study titled 'A Digital Therapeutic Intervention for Inpatients with Elevated Suicide Risk' published in JAMA Network Open.