Bringing suicide prevention into local primary health care in rural Nepal
Official title: Integrating a suicide prevention package of strategies into decentralized primary health care systems: an implementation pilot study in rural Nepal
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11305970 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds and pilots simple tools to help local primary care teams and community health workers in rural Nepal find and support people at risk of suicide.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $91,849 |
| NIH project number | 5R34MH135122-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11305970 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who use participating primary care clinics or interact with community health workers in the rural Nepali districts where the pilot runs — especially those with suicidal thoughts or recent self-harm — are best suited to benefit.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside the pilot areas, are not connected to the participating clinics or community programs, or who need specialized inpatient psychiatric care may not receive benefit from this project.
What this research studies
I live in a rural Nepali community where primary care workers and community health volunteers are often the first helpers. This project teams up with those workers and a community advisory board to adapt practical tools — like routine screening, decision guides, community health worker‑led safety planning and follow-up contacts, supervisor support, and digital tracking — so they fit local needs. Staff will be trained and the package will be piloted in decentralized clinics using implementation science methods to see what works and what needs changing. The goal is to make suicide prevention activities part of everyday primary care in the participating areas.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could be identified earlier, receive timely safety planning and follow-up from trained local workers, and have a lower risk of self-harm.
How similar studies have gone: Task-sharing programs and WHO's mhGAP have shown promise for common mental health problems in low-resource settings, but integrating and testing suicide-specific detection, safety planning, and follow-up in primary care is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hagaman, Ashley K — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Hagaman, Ashley K
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Suicide prevention support in rural Nepal primary care
This project brings practical suicide-prevention supports to primary care clinics and community health workers in rural Nepal to help people who are at risk.
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Implementing suicide prevention strategies in rural Nepal's primary health care
This study is working to help prevent suicide in rural Nepal by training local health workers to spot and support people at risk, making sure the approach fits the community's needs, and testing new ways to improve mental health care for everyone.
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Mobile safety planning for at-risk young adults
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Technology-assisted suicide prevention for youth in Colombian school settings
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Qnnections: A Social Connection‑Focused Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Veterans
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.