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Over the past decade, researchers and healthcare institutions have introduced a variety of mobile applications designed to support individuals dealing with serious health challenges. These apps range from simple tools for tracking blood sugar levels and mental health to more advanced solutions that guide rehabilitation exercises and help manage pain after surgery. In recent years, especially amidst the pandemic, these digital tools have become an essential way to provide medical assistance conveniently.
A recent breakthrough comes from Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, along with Yale School of Medicine. They developed an app called OTX-2022, which has notably reduced the likelihood of repeated suicide attempts in people recently discharged from medical facilities after a suicide attempt.
The app offers a series of educational sessions, each lasting about 10-15 minutes, targeted at individuals considered to be at high risk, with an average age of around 28 years. After several weeks of testing among patients with past suicide attempts, researchers found that the rate of subsequent suicide attempts among digital therapy users was reduced by approximately 58%.
This achievement is particularly significant for a group especially vulnerable to suicidal behaviors. The study’s findings, published in JAMA Network Open, highlight the importance of innovative approaches in suicide prevention. The team emphasized that reducing repeat attempts in this population could significantly impact overall mental health outcomes.
Suicide rates in the United States have been increasing for over twenty years, making it one of the leading causes of death among those as young as 10 years old. Over a million people engage in nonfatal suicidal behavior each year, with nearly half requiring hospitalization.
How was the app tested?
The research involved a controlled clinical trial with 339 participants admitted to psychiatric hospitals for elevated suicide risk between 2022 and 2024. The primary benefit of the app was its ability to sustain reductions in suicidal thoughts over time. Since access to specialized therapy after hospital discharge can be difficult, OTX-2022 offers a promising alternative by providing continuous, structured support.
As Craig Bryan, the primary author of the study and a professor at Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, explained, “While targeted suicide-specific therapy is highly effective, finding trained therapists after hospitalization can be challenging. OTX-2022 could serve as a practical solution to that gap.”
Experts agree that the period immediately following hospital discharge is critical, requiring close supervision and intervention. The app aims to fill this vital need by offering guidance and immediate assistance to those at risk.
Following participation, patients were assessed using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, which measures symptom severity and overall improvement. The results showed that users of the app experienced significantly greater clinical improvement, and importantly, there were no suicide deaths in the group that used the digital therapy—while one occurred in the control group.
Given the persistent rise in suicide rates across the country, and the prevalence of nonfatal attempts, innovations like this app may become vital tools in prevention efforts. With the lack of sufficient resources currently available for at-risk populations, such digital solutions could represent a groundbreaking approach to saving lives and reducing the impact of mental health crises.
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