Can a simple text message save lives? new study tests suicide prevention after ER discharge
NCT ID NCT06614946
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether an electronic safety plan and a month of supportive text messages can help adults who recently had suicidal thoughts or behavior after leaving the emergency department. Researchers will enroll 120 people and track how many complete the program and how satisfied they are. The goal is to see if this approach is practical and helpful, not yet to prove it reduces suicide.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- electronic safety plan and supportive text messaging
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a low-cost, scalable way to support people at risk of suicide after they leave the emergency room.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study, not a large trial. The text program may not reduce suicide risk, and results may not apply to everyone.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
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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18 to 65 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: Individuals presenting to an ED with either: 1. actual, interrupted, or aborted attempt in the last 4 weeks 2. suicidal ideation within the last week Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive impairment or altered mental status (psychosis, manic state) * Severe aggression/agitation, * Being admitted or transferred into inpatient care, * Patient not owning a cell phone with text messaging capability
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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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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a school program turn the tide on teen suicide?