TerminatedNot Applicable

Reducing Suicide Risk in Older Veterans Using Problem Solving Therapy

Stopped: Funding stopped early

United States117 participantsStarted 2022-01-24

Plain-language summary

Suicide is a national crisis, especially among older Veterans for whom evidence-based suicide prevention efforts are lacking. This proposal responds to the national priority to develop and improve interventions for suicide prevention, with a focus on at-risk older Veterans. The randomized control trial will compare VA usual care, which is suicide safety planning, with brief Problem Solving Therapy and suicide safety planning. This study uses Problem Solving Therapy because it has support from our pilot data and from secondary data analysis from other studies for reducing late life suicide risk. This treatment also has support for alleviating two key risk factors for late life suicide risk, functional disability and executive dysfunction, and thus this study will examine how older Veterans with varying levels of functional disability and executive functioning respond to treatment to inform future targeted implementation. In accordance with national priorities, existing infrastructure in Problem Solving Training could be expanded to support more rapid VA-wide implementation.

Who can participate

Age range55 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * \>= 55 years old * SI (past month) on the C-SSRS * No SI or imminent risk (will be excluded) * Eligibility now includes non-specific active suicidal thoughts to active SI with some planning (on C-SSRS item 3: "Have you been thinking about how you might do this") and/or some intent to act (on C-SSRS item 4: "Have you had these thoughts and had some intention of acting on them?") provided that those endorsing item 4 have an established relationship with a psychiatrist aware of this intent level (who is not also performing psychotherapy) * Those endorsing C-SSRS item 5: "Do you intend to carry out this plan?" would be considered at imminent risk and excluded * Presence of DSM-5 depressive disorder or anxiety disorder, specified or unspecified, or PTSD or subthreshold PTSD. * No diagnosis of dementia; evidence that cognitive impairment is not indicative of possible dementia based on a negative cognitive telephone screen (\<10 errors on the Blessed cognitive screen) * No diagnosis on MINI or medical record for psychotic symptoms or disorders, bipolar disorder, or severe OCD (mild or moderate OCD will be eligible) * No history of head injury past 12 months * No severe or unstable chronic medical illness or other severe or unstable respiratory, cardiovascular, neurologic, hepatic, hematopoietic, gastrointestinal or metabolic dysfunction * AUDIT Total score \<15 for men or \<13 for women (no current alcohol use disorder) * No substance use disorder of an…

What they're measuring

Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale (GSIS)

Timeframe: Change across 11 timepoints: baseline, after each of the 6 weekly treatment sessions, posttreatment (7 weeks), 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.

Reasons for Living - Older Adult Scale (Short RFL-OA)

Timeframe: Change across 11 timepoints: baseline, after each of the 6 weekly treatment sessions, posttreatment (7 weeks), 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.

Trial details

NCT IDNCT04763330

SponsorVA Office of Research and Development

Sponsor typeFED

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2025-11-05

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Suicidal Ideation trials

Plain-language summary

Who can participate

Age range55 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

What they're measuring

Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale (GSIS)

Timeframe: Change across 11 timepoints: baseline, after each of the 6 weekly treatment sessions, posttreatment (7 weeks), 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.

Reasons for Living - Older Adult Scale (Short RFL-OA)

Timeframe: Change across 11 timepoints: baseline, after each of the 6 weekly treatment sessions, posttreatment (7 weeks), 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.