Suicide-specific Mobile App Offers Lifesaving Support After Psychiatric Discharge

A mobile telephone app designed to present suicide-specific therapy reduced suicidal behaviour among high-risk psychiatric inpatients, according to a caller study by scientists astatine Yale School of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.

The study, published Aug. 8, 2025 successful JAMA Network Open, recovered that nan app, OTX-202, reduced nan recurrence of post-discharge termination attempts by 58.3% among patients who had antecedently attempted suicide. This simplification is simply a captious accomplishment for a group that is peculiarly susceptible to repeated suicidal behaviors, nan researchers said.

Users of nan app besides knowledgeable sustained reductions successful suicidal thoughts for up to 24 weeks aft psychiatric hospitalization, according to nan study. In contrast, patients who utilized an progressive power app successful summation to curen arsenic accustomed showed early improvement, but suicidal thoughts rebounded by week 24.

These findings propose that OTX-202 whitethorn thief sphere semipermanent gains successful intelligence wellness during nan high-risk play pursuing infirmary discharge, according to nan study.

"Although suicide-specific therapy is highly effective for reducing suicidal thoughts and urges, uncovering therapists who cognize really to do this life-saving therapy aft leaving nan infirmary tin beryllium challenging. OTX-202 provides a imaginable solution to that problem," said study co-first writer Craig Bryan, PsyD, professor successful Ohio State's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and head of its Suicide Prevention Program.

Suicide remains among nan apical 10 causes of decease successful nan U.S.; it is nan 2nd starring origin of decease among individuals aged 10–14 and 25–34, nan 3rd starring origin among those aged 15–24, and nan 4th starring origin among those aged 35–44. Since 1999, termination rates person risen by much than 33%. 

Each year, much than 1 cardinal adults prosecute successful nonfatal suicidal behavior, and astir 500,000 are hospitalized for termination attempts. Suicide and termination attempts besides costs nan U.S. healthcare strategy and broader system an estimated $500 cardinal annually, underscoring nan urgent request for scalable, effective, and economically viable interventions. Suicide is nan only apical slayer without immoderate medicine products for nan immense mostly of patients astatine risk. 

"The weeks and months pursuing a termination situation and discharge from a infirmary are among nan highest consequence periods for termination attempts and mortality, making it imperative to connection effective, suicide-specific interventions during this susceptible window. OTX-202 addresses this captious need," said co-first writer Patricia Simon, PhD, Assistant Professor Adjunct astatine Yale School of Medicine. 

OTX-202, developed by Oui Therapeutics, offers a scalable and cost-effective attack during this captious gap.

Testing of OTX-202 by nan Yale and Ohio State researchers progressive a multi-site, double-blind randomized controlled proceedings pinch 339 psychiatric inpatients from six divers hospitals crossed nan United States.

The participants were randomly assigned to either nan OTX-202 app aliases an progressive power app, some successful summation to their accustomed treatment. The OTX-202 app delivered a suicide-specific therapy module while nan power app included information readying and psychoeducation.

Compared to nan progressive control, patients utilizing OTX-202 were importantly much apt to show objective improvement, arsenic measured by nan Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Suicide-Change (CGI-SSC) scale. The CGI is wide utilized because it provides a standardized, clinician-rated measurement of denotation severity and betterment complete time, allowing for accordant appraisal crossed divers diligent populations and curen settings.

Patients and those who attraction for them do not person entree to reliable and effective devices and resources to trim early termination risk. This organization faces arguably nan biggest spread successful entree to effective interventions of immoderate starring killer. The imaginable objective and organization wellness effect of this caller action is extraordinary. We are incredibly appreciative of nan support provided by everyone involved, particularly nan National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) who provided backing for nan study."

Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD, elder author, personnel of nan module astatine Yale

Yale authors see Patricia Simon, PhD; Samuel T. Wilkinson, MD; Lauren Astorino, MSN, APRN; Alecia D. Dager, PhD; and Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD.

Ohio State authors see Craig Bryan, PsyD; Kristen M. Carpenter, PhD; Luke Misquitta, MD; Katherine Brownlowe, MD; Lauren R. Khazem, PhD; Jarred Hay and Austin G. Starkey. 

Funding support: This investigation was supported successful portion by Oui Therapeutics Inc and by a assistance from nan National Institute of Mental Health (R42MH123357).

The study was funded by a assistance from nan National Institute of Mental Health. The contented is solely nan work of nan authors, and it does not needfully correspond nan charismatic views of nan National Institutes of Health.