A mobile phone application designed to provide treatment with a specific suicide reduced suicidal behavior between high -risk psychiatric patients, according to a new study by Yale Medical School scientists and the Wexner Medical Center at the University of Ohio and College.
The study, published on August 8, 2025 at Open the Jama NetworkHe found that the application, OTX-202, reduced the recurrence of suicide attempts after 58.3% among patients who had previously attempted suicide. This reduction is a crucial achievement for a group that is particularly vulnerable to repetitive suicide behaviors, the researchers said.
Users of the application also presented prolonged reductions in suicidal thoughts for up to 24 weeks after psychiatric hospitalization, according to the study. On the contrary, patients who used an active control application, in addition to treatment as usual, showed premature improvement, but suicidal thoughts recovered week 24.
These findings indicate that the OTX-202 can help maintain long-term profits in mental health during the high-risk period after discharge from the hospital, according to the study.
“Although suicide treatment is extremely effective in reducing suicidal thoughts and prompts, finding therapists who know how to do this life -saving treatment after leaving the hospital can be a challenge.
The suicide remains among the top 10 deaths in the US. It is the second leading cause of death between people aged 10-14 and 25-34 years, the third leading cause between 15-24 years and the fourth main cause between 35-44 years. Since 1999, suicide rates increased by more than 33%.
Each year, more than 1 million adults are involved in non -deadly suicidal behavior and about 500,000 are hospitalized for suicide efforts. Suicide and suicide efforts also cost the US healthcare system and the wider economy of about $ 500 billion a year, stressing the urgent need for scalable, effective and economically sustainable interventions. Suicide is the only top killer without prescription products for the vast majority of patients at risk.
“The weeks and months after suicide and rejection from a hospital are one of the highest times of danger for suicide and mortality efforts, making it imperative to offer effective suicide interventions during this vulnerable window.
The OTX-202, developed by Oui Therapeutics, offers a gradual and cost-effective approach during this critical gap.
The OTX-202 test by Yale researchers and Ohio states included a multilevel, double blind randomized controlled test with 339 psychiatric nurses from six different hospitals in all the United States.
Participants were randomly commissioned to either apply OTX-202 or active control, except for their usual treatment. The OTX-202 application provided a specialist treatment section for suicide, while the control application included safety programming and psycho-esteem.
Compared to active control, patients using OTX-202 were significantly more likely to have a clinical improvement, as measured by the clinical global impression of the severity of the suicide scale (CGI-SSC). CGI is widely used because it provides a standard, clinical measure of the severity of symptoms and improvement over time, allowing consistent evaluation to various patient populations and treatment regulations.
Patients and those who take care of them do not have access to reliable and effective tools and resources to reduce the risk of suicide. This population undoubtedly faces the largest gap in access to effective interventions of any top killer. The potential clinical and population impact of this new choice is excellent. We are incredibly grateful for the support provided by all stakeholders, especially the National Mental Health Institute (NIMH) that provided funding for the study. “
Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD, Senior Author, Member of the School in Yale
The authors of Yale include Patricia Simon, PhD. Samuel T. Wilkinson, MD. Lauren Astorino, MSN, Aprn. Alecia D. Dager, Phd. and Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD.
The authors of the Ohio state include Craig Bryan, Psyd. Kristen M. Carpenter, Phd. Luke misquitta, md. Katherine Brownlowe, MD. Lauren R. Khazem, Phd. Jarred Hay and Austin G. Starkey.
Financing Support: This research was partly supported by Oui Therapeutics Inc and a grant by the National Institute of Mental Health (R42MH123357).
The study was funded by a grant by the National Institute of Mental Health. The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Source:
Magazine report:
Bryan, CJ, et al. (2025). A digital therapeutic intervention for nurses with an increased risk of suicide: a randomized clinical trial. Open the Jama Network. Doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.25809.
