Testing the Efficacy of ACT for Life

Launched by VA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT · Mar 31, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing ACT for Life, a brief, inpatient form of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, to help Veterans who are at risk of suicide during a psychiatric hospital stay and after discharge. It compares ACT for Life plus the usual care to Present Centered Therapy plus the usual care. About 278 adults (ages 18–89) who are eligible for Veterans Health Administration care and are hospitalized for suicide risk will be randomly assigned to one of the two therapies. Both groups receive the hospital care they would normally get, and the study is designed so that patients and most staff don’t know which therapy is being given during treatment.

If you participate, you’ll have 3–6 ACT for Life sessions during your hospital stay and 1–4 follow-up sessions after you leave, along with your usual care. You’ll complete assessments before treatment, right before discharge, and then at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge to see if there are fewer suicide attempts and better overall functioning. The main goal is to see whether ACT for Life can reduce suicidal behavior and improve day-to-day functioning, with several additional measures looking at related factors like thoughts about suicide and alignment with personal life values. The trial is run at two VA centers (Colorado and Michigan) and results are not yet available; if you or a loved one are considering participation, talk with a clinician about whether this study is suitable.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Eligible for VHA care
• • Currently hospitalized due to suicide risk
• • Willing to be randomized and participate in either of the two conditions
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Inability to provide informed consent (operationalized as inability to answer 7 questions about the study and research participants' rights)
• • Inability to complete study measures or participate in treatment \[based on referring clinician and study staff's judgment (e.g., due to lack of time, significant acute intoxication/withdrawal symptoms, mania, psychosis, aggression, catatonia, cognitive impairment)\]
• • Participation in another interventional research study
• • Membership in vulnerable population (e.g., prisoner, pregnant woman)