Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention (MBCT-S)

VA Office of Research and Development

Status: Completed

Conditions: Suicide

Treatments: Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Suicide; Behavioral: Treatment as usual

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01872338

IIR 12-134

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to test a psychotherapeutic intervention that integrates cognitive therapy and mindfulness meditation techniques to prevent suicide in military Veterans.

Full description

Every month the VA becomes aware of approximately 1,100 Veterans in VA care who attempt suicide. While the VA has implemented a comprehensive, multifaceted suicide prevention approach, it has yet to implement nationally any evidence-based psychotherapies targeting suicide, a gap due largely to the dearth of evidence-based therapies for suicide. Primary aims of this proposal are to conduct a randomized controlled trial testing an adaptation of a cognitive-behavioral intervention, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), for Veterans on the VA's High Risk for Suicide List. The investigators' adapted version of MBCT for suicide (MBCT-S) integrates mindfulness meditation techniques with the VA Safety Plan to enhance patients' awareness of suicide triggers and appropriate coping strategies. This study has the potential to increase the range of cost effective treatment alternatives for the large number of suicidal Veterans for whom evidence-based therapies are severely limited.

Enrollment: 135 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

The following criteria were formulated to recruit a sample at high risk for suicide behavior.

• The subject has experienced a suicidal event during the past 30 days. A suicidal event involves

  • 1. psychiatric hospitalization due to suicidal risk,
  • 2. psychiatric hospitalization if subject was already on the High Risk for Suicide List,
  • 3. suicidal ideation with suicidal intent,
  • 4. suicidal preparatory behaviors, or
  • 5. actual, interrupted, or aborted suicide attempt.

AND

• The subject is on or will be placed on the VA High Risk for Suicide List

  • OR The subject had an actual, interrupted, or aborted attempt in the last year
  • OR In the study clinician's opinion (i.e., Masters or Doctoral level study personnel with formal mental health training) in consultation with the PI, the suicidal event is significant enough to warrant treatment to reduce suicidal risk.

Exclusion criteria

• cognitive deficits that decrease the likelihood of benefit from MBCT-S
• severe symptoms of hallucinations or delusions
• disorganized or disruptive behaviors
• medically unstable
• current mindfulness-based psychotherapy or receipt of 2 or more sessions of a mindfulness-based psychotherapy in the last 12 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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135 participants in 2 patient groups

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy + Treatment As Usual

Active Comparator group

Description:

Psychotherapeutic intervention that integrates mindfulness meditation with Safety Planning, with a specific focus on reducing suicide risk.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Suicide

Treatment As Usual

Other group

Description:

VA standard care for suicide prevention

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment as usual