The present study consists of 3 projects in total and aims to investigate the (neuro-) psychological patterns from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior as well as the effects and feasibility of ASSIP Home Treatment. The overall aim of project 1 is to determine (neuro-) psychological differences between suicide attempters, suicide ideators, a clinical control group, and healthy controls. Study participants in project 1 will participate in a one-time (neuro-) psychological assessment. Project 1 of this study is an observational cross-sectional study with four groups that will be conducted at the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern (Switzerland): Patients with at least one suicide attempt in their past (SUAT), patients with suicidal ideation (SUID), patients from the same clinical cohort, without neither suicidal behavior or ideation (CLIN) and the healthy group (HLTH). The cohorts to be examined (SUAT \& SUID) will be compared to the two control groups (CLIN \& HLTH). Only people who have signed the informed consent and meet the eligibility criteria can participate in this study.
Purpose and aims: The present study consists of 3 projects in total and aims to investigate the (neuro-) psychological patterns from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior as well as the effects and feasibility of ASSIP Home Treatment. The aim of this project is to distinguish the (neuro-) psychological patterns of suicide ideators from suicide attempters by investigating four experimental groups. For this purpose, neuropsychological functioning, as well as psychological process factors, are analyzed. Patients with at least one prior suicide attempt are compared to patients with suicidal ideation, to a clinical control group, as well as to healthy controls. For this project, patients who are being treated at the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern (Switzerland) at the time of the project will be requested. Afterwards, participants with a suicide attempt in their history will also be asked to participate in the longitudinal part of the study, which is Project 2. Background: In Switzerland, approximately three people die by suicide every day, and suicide attempts exceed this number by far. As a previous suicide attempt is one of the strongest predictors of a completed suicide, it is of utmost importance to identify the people at risk. However, research has shown that traditional risk factors (e.g., depression, psychiatric disorder, etc.) reliably predict suicidal ideation but poorly predict suicidal behavior. Furthermore, while effective suicide-specific interventions exist, up to 50% of the suicide attempters reject the recommended treatment, and around 60% discontinue treatment after one session. Hence, a different approach is required. In this study, three projects will be conducted. In Project 1, (neuro-) psychological patterns of suicide attempters will be identified by comparing the following four different groups: 1. patients with a prior suicide attempt (SUAT), 2. patients with no prior suicide attempt but suicidal ideation (SUID), 3. a general patient group (CLIN), and 4. a healthy control group (HLTH). Project 2 will investigate how these patterns are modulated by the efficacious brief therapy ASSIP. In Project 3, the feasibility, effects and cost-effectiveness of the ASSIP Home Treatment will be investigated. Study design of Project 1: Project 1 of this study is a quantitative cross-sectional and observational study with four groups that will be conducted at the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern (Switzerland): Patients with at least one suicide attempt in their past (SUAT), patients with suicidal ideation (SUID), patients from the same clinical cohort without suicidal behavior or ideation (CLIN), and the healthy group (HLTH). The cohorts to be examined (SUAT \& SUID) will be compared to two control groups (CLIN \& HLTH). Study participants in Project 1 will participate in a one-time (neuro-) psychological assessment. To account for the heterogeneity in suicide attempters, suicide ideators, generally clinical patients and healthy controls, the samples will be balanced for age, gender and treatment setting by group matching.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
180
The measurement, which takes place 1 week after the informed consent, aims to determine the distinct (neuro-) psychological patterns of suicidal behavior versus suicidal ideation, in comparison to two control groups.
University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern
Bern, Switzerland
RECRUITINGDifferences in Inhibitory Control
The Go/No-Go task is a cognitive task to assess an individual's ability to inhibit a prepotent response. It is used to measure impulse control and response inhibition. The task requires participants to respond ("Go" response) to one type of stimulus and to withhold or inhibit their response ("No-Go" response) to another type of stimulus. The Go/No-Go task yields measures such as reaction time, accuracy, and the ability to inhibit responses. Reaction times can vary widely, and accuracy is often expressed as a percentage of correct responses. Lower reaction times and higher accuracy in withholding responses (No-Go trials) indicate better inhibitory control and cognitive performance.
Time frame: The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent.
Selective Attention and Interference Control
The Stroop task is a cognitive psychology test that evaluates an individual's ability to selectively attend to information while inhibiting interference from irrelevant stimuli. The Stroop task measures the time taken to complete tasks and the accuracy of responses. The primary measures are the time taken to complete the task and the number of errors. Lower completion times and fewer errors indicate better cognitive control and attentional focus. Lower scores (faster completion times and fewer errors) are associated with better outcomes, reflecting more efficient cognitive processing and interference control. Higher scores, if used to quantify errors or time taken, are associated with a worse outcome, indicating greater interference and potentially reduced cognitive control.
Time frame: The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent.
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