Development of a Positive Psychology Intervention to Reduce Suicide Risk

Suicidal Ideation Clinical Trial

— HOPE  

Official title:

Development of a Positive Psychology Intervention to Reduce Suicide Risk

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01398891
• Other study ID #: 2010P002826
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: July 15, 2011
• Last updated: March 4, 2013
• Start date: May 2011
• Est. completion date: March 2013

Study information

• Verified date: March 2013
• Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This pilot study will recruit patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit at MGH for suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. Inclusion criteria will be broad to increase enrollment rates and obtain information for patients with a wide range of diagnoses and illness severity. Enrolled subjects will complete randomly-selected positive psychology exercises daily (on weekdays) until discharge and will rate the exercises in multiple domains. Subjects' participation will be complete at the end of their admission or when all exercises have been completed, whichever comes first.

Overall, our goal is to assess the acceptability and utility of eight possible positive psychology interventions related to gratitude, optimism, kindness, mindfulness, recollection, and forgiveness in suicidal inpatients.

This is a single-arm study, completed with patients who have been admitted to the hospital for suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. It is aimed at developing a positive psychology treatment aimed at suicidal patients. The study consists of serial completion of different positive psychology exercises, once daily, during admission, to get subjects' input on their feasibility and impact. This will allow us to work collaboratively to identify the specific exercises that best fit this population. Subjects' participation ends when they are discharged from the hospital. The investigators plan to enroll 30 subjects at MGH (and total) in this study.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: March 2013
• Est. primary completion date: March 2013
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (age 18 and older) admitted to inpatient psychiatric unit at Massachusetts General Hospital

• Suicidal ideation at time of admission OR

• Admission occurring in context of suicide attempt

• Ability to read and write in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychotic symptoms

• Cognitive disorder

Study Design

Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Suicidal Ideation
• Suicide
• Suicide Attempt
• Suicide, Attempted

Intervention

Other:
• Positive Psychology Exercises
At each session, the interventionalist will prepare the subject to complete a randomly-selected positive psychology exercise, lasting approximately 20 minutes, within the next 24 hours. He or she will describe the rationale for the exercise and the details of the exercise, and will answer any questions. A sheet with written instructions (matching the verbal instructions) for the exercise will be provided, with space for recording the exercise and an area to provide ratings on the exercise. On the following day, the interventionalist will review the prior day's exercise (and record whether it was completed). The exercises will be completed daily on weekdays for a maximum of 8 days.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Massachusetts General Hospital	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Massachusetts General Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Completion of exercises	Exercises assigned each day and assessed for completion the next day (a total of eight exercises)	Every 24 hours until all exercises administered or discharge occurs	No
Secondary	Optimism	Life Orientation Test-Revised	Baseline and on the date of discharge (average length of admission= 2 weeks)	No
Secondary	Feasibility and utility of exercises	Self-report using Likert scale	Assessed within 24 hours of exercise completion	No
Secondary	Hopelessness	Beck Hopelessness Scale	Baseline and on the date of discharge (average length of admission=2 weeks)	No