Jaspr Health App for Suicidal Thoughts
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
LA
Overseen byLinda A. Dimeff, PhD
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Evidence-Based Practice Institute, Seattle, WA
Disqualifiers: Severe depression, Alcohol dependence, Significant drug abuse, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?
The central purpose of this project is to evaluate and facilitate access to evidence-based best practices for individuals struggling with suicidal ideation and co-occurring behavioral problems, including alcohol misuse, and provide assistance to the patients while they are waiting to receive care, as they are receiving care, and after they return home. While WisePath is highly innovative in how it delivers these best practices, the content is well-established and known to reduce suicidality and alcohol misuse. We will conduct a 12-week intent-to-treat RCT with 120 suicidal adults 22 years and older who may also be experiencing alcohol misuse. Participants will be randomly assigned to WisePath (n=60) or an active control condition (n=60) including a control suicide prevention self-help app plus an electronic wellness resources brochure containing links to health and wellness materials, psychoeducation about suicide, depression, self-help recovery-focused resources (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step programs, Moderation Management, etc.), and phone/text information for the 988 Suicide \& Crisis Lifeline. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It might be best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your healthcare provider.
What data supports the effectiveness of the Jaspr Health App for Suicidal Thoughts treatment?
Is the Jaspr Health App for Suicidal Thoughts safe for use in humans?
How is the Jaspr2.0 treatment for suicidal thoughts different from other treatments?
Jaspr2.0 is unique because it uses a tablet-based app to deliver evidence-based practices directly to patients in emergency departments, providing timely and personalized support for those experiencing suicidal thoughts. Unlike traditional treatments, it adapts to the individual's needs in real-time, offering a more accessible and immediate intervention.89101112
Research Team
LA
Linda A. Dimeff, PhD
Principal Investigator
Chief Executive Officer
Eligibility Criteria
Adults over 18 with suicidal thoughts, who have seen their primary care provider in the past year, use a smartphone with data, and may misuse alcohol can join. Those with severe depression or alcohol dependence, acute suicidal tendencies, or significant drug abuse cannot participate.Inclusion Criteria
Scores 1 or greater on Item 9 of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
I am 18 years old or older.
To ensure a sufficient sample of individuals who misuse alcohol, no fewer than 35% of the sample will be comprised of individuals who score 8 or more on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), indicating a harmful or hazardous level of drinking.
See 3 more
Exclusion Criteria
You are currently feeling very suicidal or have had recent thoughts of hurting yourself.
I have severe depression based on my PHQ-9 score.
Alcohol dependence (AUDIT score of 15 or greater)
See 1 more
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2 weeks
1 visit (virtual)
Treatment
Participants are randomly assigned to either the WisePath app or an active control condition for 12 weeks
12 weeks
4 assessments (virtual) at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in suicidal ideation, alcohol misuse, and other behavioral health concerns
4 weeks
1 visit (virtual)
Treatment Details
Interventions
- Active-Control app + electronic wellness resources brochure (Behavioural Intervention)
- Jaspr2.0 (Behavioural Intervention)
Trial OverviewThe trial is testing Jaspr2.0 app against an active control (Virtual Hope Box + wellness resources) for helping adults manage suicidal ideation and alcohol misuse. It's a randomized study assessing participants at multiple points over 12 weeks.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: WisePath for AdultsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
WisePath is designed to help support individuals during challenging moments and while experiencing behavioral concerns. The app is designed for people who struggle with depression, sleep problems, have feelings of wanting to die, or want to harm themselves, and/or misuse alcohol. WisePath includes specific tools for those who are experiencing suicidality, including creating a safety plan and teaching skills and strategies to get through distressing moments. You have been assigned to use the WisePath app while you are in this study.
Group II: Active-Control app + electronic wellness resources brochureActive Control1 Intervention
Well-regarded suicide prevention self-help app, plus an electronic wellness resources brochure containing links to health and wellness materials, psychoeducation about suicide, depression, self-help recovery-focused resources (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, other 12-Step programs, Moderation Management, etc.), and phone/text information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Evidence-Based Practice Institute, Inc.Seattle, WA
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Evidence-Based Practice Institute, Seattle, WA
Lead Sponsor
Trials
9
Patients Recruited
29,800+
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Collaborator
Trials
865
Patients Recruited
1,091,000+
References
An Emotion Regulation Tablet App for Middle-Aged and Older Adults at High Suicide Risk: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Two Case Studies. [2022]The unique features of technological applications may improve the treatment of people at risk of suicide. In this article, we present feasibility and acceptability data as well as two case studies demonstrating the use of WellPATH, a tablet app that aims to help suicidal patients during emotionally-charged situations outside of therapy sessions. The WellPATH app was part of a 12-week psychotherapy intervention (CRISP - Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention for Suicide Prevention) for middle-aged and older adults after their discharge from a suicide-related hospitalization.
A Virtual Hope Box smartphone app as an accessory to therapy: proof-of-concept in a clinical sample of veterans. [2022]A "Hope Box" is a therapeutic tool employed by clinicians with patients who are having difficulty coping with negative thoughts and stress, including patients who may be at risk of suicide or nonsuicidal self-harm. We conducted a proof-of-concept test of a "Virtual" Hope Box (VHB)-a smartphone app that delivers patient-tailored coping tools. Compared with a conventional hope box integrated into VA behavioral health treatment, high-risk patients and their clinicians used the VHB more regularly and found the VHB beneficial, useful, easy to set up, and said they were likely to use the VHB in the future and recommend the VHB to peers.
The feasibility of using smartphone apps as treatment components for depressed suicidal outpatients. [2023]Mental health smartphone apps could increase the safety and self-management of patients at risk of suicide, but it is still unclear whether it is feasible to integrate such apps into routine mental healthcare. This study reports on the feasibility of using a safety planning app (BackUp) and a self-monitoring app (mEMA) as components of the routine treatment of depressed outpatients with suicidal ideation. Clinicians were trained in working with both of the apps, and they invited their eligible patients with suicidal ideation for study participation. Patients used the apps for 3 months and discussed these with their clinician during treatment. Patients completed assessments at baseline (T0), 4 weeks (T1) and post-test (T2, 12 weeks after baseline). Both patients and clinicians also participated in telephone interviews. Feasibility was assessed in terms of usability (score > 70 on System Usability Scale, SUS), acceptability (score > 20 on Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8, CSQ-8), and uptake (sufficient rates of component completion and app usage in treatment). The sample included 17 adult outpatients (52.9% male, age range 20-50 years) diagnosed with a depressive disorder and suicidal ideation at baseline. BackUp was rated by patients at above the cut-off scores for usability (SUS mean score at T1 75.63 and at T2 77.71) and acceptability (CSQ-8 mean score at T1 23.42 and at T2 23.50). mEMA was similarly rated (SUS mean score at T1 75.83 and at T2 76.25; CSQ-8 mean score at T1 23.92 and at T2 22.75). Telephone interviews with patients and clinicians confirmed the usability and acceptability. The uptake criteria were not met. Our findings suggest that mobile safety planning and mobile self-monitoring can be considered acceptable and usable as treatment components for depressed suicidal outpatients, but the integration of apps into routine treatment needs to be further explored.
Suicide Prevention Mobile Apps for Indian Users: An Overview. [2021]Suicide is an issue of global concern. Mobile applications (apps), if found effective, could supplement suicide prevention efforts by addressing some of the barriers to help-seeking. This study aimed to review the nature of suicide prevention apps available for Indian users using the Android platform. Apps identified were broadly reviewed on general features, inclusion of educative elements, suicide risk assessment, and strategies to manage suicidal thoughts. The search terms "suicide," "suicide prevention," and "feeling suicidal" were used to search the Google Play Store from May to December 2020, and apps exclusively focusing on suicide prevention were identified and reviewed. The initial search resulted in 492 apps, of which 43 met inclusion criteria and were further assessed. Fewer than half the apps included supplementary information to users on scientific, evidence-based content (32.55%), and only a few apps were reported to be empirically validated (11.62%). Approximately one-third of the apps intended for people at suicidal risk had an initial screening aspect (16.12%), and one-third of the apps intended for support providers had a suicide risk assessment tool (25.92%). Most apps (81.39%) included a suicide helpline number specific to the region where they were developed, but only a few (23.25%) included motivational elements to call helplines. Common therapeutic strategies suggested to manage suicidal thoughts included distraction, means restriction, environment safety, perspective-shifting strategies, and calming or soothing strategies. Several apps (39.53%) included therapeutic strategies through safety plans. For apps to be used effectively for suicide prevention, they should include evidence-based content and motivational elements to call helplines, and and clinicians need to examine app features and content before recommending them for use by patients.
Clinical Considerations for Digital Resources in Care for Patients With Suicidal Ideation. [2023]Smartphone apps offer accessible new tools that may help prevent suicide and that offer support for individuals with active suicidal ideation. Numerous smartphone apps for mental health conditions exist; however, their functionality is limited, and evidence is nascent. A new generation of apps using smartphone sensors and integrating real-time data on evolving risk offers the potential of more personalized support, but these apps present ethical risks and currently remain more in the research domain than in the clinical domain. Nevertheless, clinicians can use apps to benefit patients. This article outlines practical strategies to select safe and effective apps for the creation of a digital toolkit that can augment suicide prevention and safety plans. By creating a unique digital toolkit for each patient, clinicians can help ensure that the apps selected will be most relevant, engaging, and effective.
Smartphone-based safety plan for suicidal crisis: The SmartCrisis 2.0 pilot study. [2023]Here we present the findings of the pilot phase of the SmartCrisis 2.0 Randomized Clinical Trial. This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a safety plan contained in a smartphone app. Our sample consisted patients with a history of recent suicidal behaviour who installed a smartphone-based safety plan. To explore the satisfaction with of the safety plan, two patient satisfaction surveys were conducted: one qualitative and one quantitative. To explore the objective use of the safety plan, we gained access to texts contained in the safety plans completed by the patients. Participation rate was 77%, while 48.9% patients completed both satisfaction surveys at the end of the pilot phase. N = 105 successfully installed the safety plan. In a scale from 1 to 10, users rated the usefulness of the security plan at 7.4, the usability at 8.9, the degree to which they would recommend it to others at 8.6 and the overall satisfaction with the project including evaluations at 9.6. The most widely completed tab was warning signs. Feeling sad or lonely was the warning sign most commonly reported by patients. The second most completed tab was internal coping strategies. Walking or practicing any other exercise was the strategy most commonly resorted to. Our smartphone-based safety plan appears to be a feasible intervention. Data obtained from this pilot study showed high participation rates and high acceptability by patients. This, together with the general satisfaction with the project, supports its implementation in the clinical practice.
Development and pilot testing of an online monitoring tool of depression symptoms and side effects for young people being treated for depression. [2015]To develop and examine the feasibility of an online monitoring tool of depressive symptoms, suicidality and side effects.
MYPLAN -mobile phone application to manage crisis of persons at risk of suicide: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. [2022]Persons with a past episode of self-harm or severe suicidal ideation are at elevated risk of self-harm as well as dying by suicide. It is well established that suicidal ideation fluctuates over time. Previous studies have shown that a personal safety plan can assist in providing support, when a person experiences suicide ideation, and help seeking professional assistance if needed. The aim of the trial is to determine whether a newly developed safety mobile app is more effective in reducing suicide ideation and other symptoms, compared to a safety plan on paper.
Using a Tablet-Based App to Deliver Evidence-Based Practices for Suicidal Patients in the Emergency Department: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. [2023]Emergency departments (EDs) have the potential to provide evidence-based practices for suicide prevention to patients who are acutely suicidal. However, few EDs have adequate time and personnel resources to deliver recommended evidence-based assessment and interventions. To raise the clinical standard of care for patients who are suicidal and seeking psychiatric crisis services in the ED, we developed Jaspr Health, a tablet-based app for direct use by such patients, which enables the delivery of 4 evidence-based practices.
SERO - A New Mobile App for Suicide Prevention. [2022]Mobile apps indicate a positive effect on suicidal ideation and potential impact on suicide attempts. As part of the SERO suicide prevention program, Lucerne Psychiatry in collaboration with partner organizations aims to reduce suicides and suicide attempts in its service area, and to improve the self-management of suicidal individuals with a mobile app. The concept for such an app was developed in a trialog with health professionals, persons at risk and their relatives and its functions were compared to six known essential app-based strategies for suicide prevention, such as the development of a safety plan, access to support networks and tracking of mood. We present the concept and architecture for the app and discuss potential added value, which may result from the intertwining of the strategies within the app, which will be available in its first version in late 2022.
Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions for Suicide Prevention: Promise, Challenges, and Future Directions. [2023]The suicide rate (currently 14 per 100,000) has barely changed in the United States over the past 100 years. There is a need for new ways of preventing suicide. Further, research has revealed that suicidal thoughts and behaviors and the factors that drive them are dynamic, heterogeneous, and interactive. Most existing interventions for suicidal thoughts and behaviors are infrequent, not accessible when most needed, and not systematically tailored to the person using their own data (e.g., from their own smartphone). Advances in technology offer an opportunity to develop new interventions that may better match the dynamic, heterogeneous, and interactive nature of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs), which use smartphones and wearables, are designed to provide the right type of support at the right time by adapting to changes in internal states and external contexts, offering a promising pathway toward more effective suicide prevention. In this review, we highlight the potential of JITAIs for suicide prevention, challenges ahead (e.g., measurement, ethics), and possible solutions to these challenges.
A Systematic Evaluation of Mobile Health Applications for the Prevention of Suicidal Behavior or Non-suicidal Self-injury. [2023]People with suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior face numerous barriers to help-seeking, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile health applications (MHA) are discussed as one solution to improve healthcare. However, the commercial app markets are growing unregulated and rapidly, leading to an inscrutable market. This study evaluates the quality, features, functions, and prevention strategies of MHA for people with suicidal ideation and NSSI. An automatic search engine identified MHA for suicidal behavior and NSSI in the European commercial app stores. MHA quality and general characteristics were assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). MHA of high quality (top 25%) were examined in detail and checked for consistency with established suicide prevention strategies. Of 10,274 identified apps, 179 MHA met the predefined inclusion criteria. Average MHA quality was moderate (M = 3.56, SD = 0.40). Most MHA provided emergency contact, but lacked security features. High-quality MHA were broadly consistent with the best-practice guidelines. The search revealed apps containing potentially harmful and triggering content, and no randomized controlled trial of any included MHA was found. Despite a large heterogeneity in the quality of MHA, high-quality MHA for suicidal behavior and NSSI are available in European commercial app stores. However, a lack of a scientific evidence base poses potential threats to users.