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Text messages could be a lifeline for teens at risk of suicide
NCT ID NCT07043764
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This pilot study tests whether sending brief, hopeful text messages to teens after they leave the emergency department for suicidal thoughts or behaviors is acceptable and helpful. Researchers will compare teens who receive these messages plus usual care to those who only get usual care, tracking changes in suicidal thoughts and behaviors over a year. The goal is to see if a simple, low-cost text program can support teens during a vulnerable time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Caring Contacts text messages
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a simple, low-cost way to support teens after a mental health crisis and reduce suicide risk.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study, so results may not apply widely. The intervention is brief and may not be enough for teens with severe needs.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 56 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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12 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 12 to \<18 years of age * Present to the emergency department with suicidal thoughts or behaviors as indicated by the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) * Have a cell phone that can receive text messages * Proficient in English * Anticipated disposition of discharge from the emergency department Exclusion Criteria: * In care of the Department of Children and Family Services * Unable to participate meaningfully in assent, assessments, or the intervention, as determined by the treating clinician, including any of the following: acute or chronic cognitive impairment, acute psychosis, current severe agitation, current alcohol or drug intoxication
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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