Phone alerts may curb suicidal urges in real time
NCT ID NCT05848089
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether teaching people three simple skills to manage negative emotions, plus getting smartphone reminders to practice them, could reduce suicidal thoughts and emotional distress. 41 adults who had recently attempted suicide or had current suicidal thoughts took part. The goal was to see if these real-time prompts help lower the intensity of suicidal urges.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cognitive behavioral therapy skills training plus smartphone prompts
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a practical, low-cost way to help people manage suicidal thoughts in real time using their own phone.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed early-stage study with only 41 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The intervention relies on participants engaging with their phone, which may not work for all.
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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41 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2023
- Finished
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Feb 2025
- 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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18 years and older
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * adult status (18+ years), * a recent suicide attempt or any report of current suicidal ideation, * the ability to speak and write English fluently, * ownership of and consistent access to an internet-capable smartphone (e.g., an iPhone or Android phone), and * providing at least one collateral contact in cases where we cannot reach the participant Exclusion criteria: \- the presence of any factor that impairs an individual's ability to provide informed consent and comprehend and effectively participate in the study including: an inability to speak or write English fluently, the presence of gross cognitive impairment due to florid psychosis, intellectual disability, dementia, acute intoxication, or the presence of extremely agitated or violent behavior.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02130, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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