Adaptive text support to help you cope after an emergency room visit for suicidal crisis

Facilitating effective coping to reduce suicide risk following ED discharge: A micro-randomized trial to develop an adaptive text-based intervention

NIH-funded research University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11311335

This program offers an electronic safety plan with or without personalized text messages to adults discharged from the emergency department after suicidal thoughts or behavior.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Ann Arbor, United States)
Project IDNIH-11311335 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you come to the ED for suicidal thoughts or a suicide attempt, the team will give you an electronic safety plan and may send tailored text messages after you go home. People in the project are randomly assigned so some get the safety plan alone and others get the safety plan plus an adaptive text support program that changes based on your responses. The texts are meant to help you use coping strategies and the safety plan when you feel at risk. The researchers will follow participants after discharge to see which approach helps people stay safer and use their safety plans more effectively.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults (21 years and older) who present to the emergency department for suicide-related concerns and are being discharged are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who are admitted to inpatient psychiatric care, are under 21, or do not have a working mobile phone or text service are unlikely to benefit from the text-based components.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help reduce suicidal behavior after ED discharge by improving coping and continuity of care.

How similar studies have performed: Brief-contact and text-message programs after ED discharge have shown promise for improving follow-up and engagement, but effects on suicidal behavior are mixed and this adaptive text approach is relatively novel.

Where this research is happening

Ann Arbor, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.