About this trial
Suicide is a high priority public health problem and an increasingly prevalent alcohol-related consequence. One-third of people who die by suicide consume alcohol at hazardous rates in the year preceding death. Most people in an acute suicide crisis who present for treatment are admitted to acute psychiatric hospitalization. Yet, the 30-day period following discharge from hospitalization is by far the riskiest period for another suicide crisis. The specific aim for this project is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention called mHealth-supported Skills Training for Alcohol-Related Suicidality (mSTARS). Thirty-five inpatients with suicidal thoughts or behaviors who misuse alcohol will be randomized to one of three study conditions -- mSTARS, treatment as usual, or treatment as usual with skills training.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Age 18+
hospitalized for suicide crisis at Duke BHIP
an AUDIT-C score indicating hazardous past-month drinking (4 for men; 3 for women) + a 90-day calendar timeline follow-back (TLFB) indicating a minimum of 3 heavy drinking days per week on average (per NIAAA standards)
owns a smart phone
Disqualifiers
current psychotic or mania symptoms indicated by the MINI Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0.(MINI)
receiving ECT at the time of hospitalization, which could inhibit learning
engaged in weekly outpatient psychotherapy
discharging to another high level of psychiatric care.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Standard inpatient psychiatric care
- Inpatient Skills Training
- mHealth-supported Skills Training for Alcohol-Related Suicidality (mSTARS)