DBT plus an online sleep program for teens at high risk of suicide
Official title: Combined Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia for Adolescents at High Risk for Suicide: A Pilot RCT
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11105906 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether adding a web-based insomnia program to dialectical behavior therapy helps teens at high risk for suicide sleep better and reduce self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $193,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R34MH130634-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11105906 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescents with insomnia who have recent suicidal ideation or a history of self-harm and who are receiving or willing to start DBT.
✕Less likely to help
Teens without insomnia or suicidal/self-harm risk, those needing immediate inpatient psychiatric care, or those unable to use internet-based tools are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be a teen receiving dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for suicidal thoughts or self-harm and may be randomly assigned to also use a short online cognitive-behavioral program for insomnia. The team will begin with a small open pilot to get feedback from youth and therapists and then run a pilot randomized trial to compare DBT alone versus DBT plus the online sleep program. Researchers will collect sleep reports, questionnaires about suicidal ideation and self-harm, and other measures over the study period. Therapists and study staff will support engagement with the digital program and adjust the approach based on early feedback.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, adding the sleep program to DBT could improve sleep and lower suicidal thoughts and self-harm in participating teens.
How similar studies have gone: DBT has strong evidence for reducing self-harm and digital CBT for insomnia improves sleep in youth, but combining these approaches for suicide prevention in adolescents is a novel strategy.
Where this research is happening
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Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Berk, Michele Stacy — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Berk, Michele Stacy
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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.