A cell phone app designed to ship suicide-specific remedy decreased suicidal habits amongst high-risk psychiatric inpatients, in response to a brand new research by scientists at Yale College of Drugs and The Ohio State College Wexner Medical Heart and Faculty of Drugs.
The research, printed Aug. 8, 2025 in JAMA Community Open, discovered that the app, OTX-202, decreased the recurrence of post-discharge suicide makes an attempt by 58.3% amongst sufferers who had beforehand tried suicide. This discount is a essential achievement for a bunch that’s notably susceptible to repeated suicidal behaviors, the researchers stated.
Customers of the app additionally skilled sustained reductions in suicidal ideas for as much as 24 weeks after psychiatric hospitalization, in response to the research. In distinction, sufferers who used an lively management app along with therapy as ordinary confirmed early enchancment, however suicidal ideas rebounded by week 24.
These findings recommend that OTX-202 might assist protect long-term features in psychological well being throughout the high-risk interval following hospital discharge, in response to the research.
“Though suicide-specific remedy is extremely efficient for decreasing suicidal ideas and urges, discovering therapists who understand how to do that life-saving remedy after leaving the hospital will be difficult. OTX-202 offers a potential answer to that downside,” stated research co-first creator Craig Bryan, PsyD, professor in Ohio State’s Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Well being and director of its Suicide Prevention Program.
Suicide stays among the many prime 10 causes of demise within the U.S.; it’s the second main reason behind demise amongst people aged 10–14 and 25–34, the third main trigger amongst these aged 15–24, and the fourth main trigger amongst these aged 35–44. Since 1999, suicide charges have risen by greater than 33%.
Every year, greater than 1 million adults interact in nonfatal suicidal habits, and practically 500,000 are hospitalized for suicide makes an attempt. Suicide and suicide makes an attempt additionally price the U.S. healthcare system and broader economic system an estimated $500 billion yearly, underscoring the pressing want for scalable, efficient, and economically viable interventions. Suicide is the one prime killer with none prescription merchandise for the overwhelming majority of sufferers in danger.
“The weeks and months following a suicide disaster and discharge from a hospital are among the many highest threat durations for suicide makes an attempt and mortality, making it crucial to supply efficient, suicide-specific interventions throughout this susceptible window. OTX-202 addresses this essential want,” stated co-first creator Patricia Simon, PhD, Assistant Professor Adjunct at Yale College of Drugs.
OTX-202, developed by Oui Therapeutics, gives a scalable and cost-effective strategy throughout this essential hole.
Testing of OTX-202 by the Yale and Ohio State researchers concerned a multi-site, double-blind randomized managed trial with 339 psychiatric inpatients from six various hospitals throughout the USA.
The contributors had been randomly assigned to both the OTX-202 app or an lively management app, each along with their ordinary therapy. The OTX-202 app delivered a suicide-specific remedy module whereas the management app included security planning and psychoeducation.
In comparison with the lively management, sufferers utilizing OTX-202 had been considerably extra prone to present medical enchancment, as measured by the Scientific International Impression for Severity of Suicide-Change (CGI-SSC) scale. The CGI is extensively used as a result of it offers a standardized, clinician-rated measure of symptom severity and enchancment over time, permitting for constant evaluation throughout various affected person populations and therapy settings.
Sufferers and people who look after them would not have entry to dependable and efficient instruments and assets to cut back future suicide threat. This inhabitants faces arguably the largest hole in entry to efficient interventions of any main killer. The potential medical and inhabitants well being impression of this new possibility is extraordinary. We’re extremely appreciative of the help offered by everybody concerned, particularly the Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being (NIMH) who offered funding for the research.”
Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD, senior creator, member of the school at Yale
Yale authors embrace Patricia Simon, PhD; Samuel T. Wilkinson, MD; Lauren Astorino, MSN, APRN; Alecia D. Dager, PhD; and Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD.
Ohio State authors embrace Craig Bryan, PsyD; Kristen M. Carpenter, PhD; Luke Misquitta, MD; Katherine Brownlowe, MD; Lauren R. Khazem, PhD; Jarred Hay and Austin G. Starkey.
Funding help: This analysis was supported partially by Oui Therapeutics Inc and by a grant from the Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being (R42MH123357).
The research was funded by a grant from the Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being. The content material is solely the duty of the authors, and it doesn’t essentially signify the official views of the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.
Supply:
Journal reference:
Bryan, C. J., et al. (2025). A Digital Therapeutic Intervention for Inpatients With Elevated Suicide Danger: A Randomized Scientific Trial. JAMA Community Open. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.25809.