Brief Interventions for Short-Term Suicide Risk Reduction in Military Populations

Plain-language summary

The purpose of the proposed study is to identify the most effective brief interventions for reducing short-term risk for suicide attempts in "real world" military triage settings, and to identify potential mechanisms of change underlying the interventions' impact on subsequent suicide attempts. We will randomize 360 patients to one of three commonly-used crisis interventions delivered as routine care in the mental health triage system: (1) Treatment As Usual (TAU); (2) Standard Crisis Response Plan (S-CRP); or (3) Enhanced Crisis Response Plan with Reasons For Living (E-CRP). The following hypotheses will be tested: 1. The enhanced crisis response plan (E-CRP) intervention will contribute to significantly decreased risk for suicide attempts and hospitalization during follow-up relative to the standard crisis response plan alone (S-CRP) and treatment as usual (TAU). 2. The standard crisis response plan (S-CRP) intervention will contribute to significantly decreased risk for suicide attempts and hospitalization during follow-up relative to treatment as usual (TAU). 3. Greater ambivalence about suicide and faster recall of reasons for living will mediate the relationship between intervention and reduced risk for suicide attempt during follow-up.

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