Intensive outpatient support after psychiatric hospitalization to lower suicide risk
Examining Intensive Outpatient Programs as a Potential Mechanism to Reduce Suicide Risk During the Post-Hospitalization Period Among Medicaid Recipients
This project looks at whether intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization programs help people on Medicaid stay safer from suicide in the months after leaving a psychiatric hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143064 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's viewpoint, researchers will compare outcomes for Medicaid patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals who enter intensive outpatient (IOP) or partial hospitalization (PHP) programs with those who do not. They will use hospital and Medicaid claims data across regions to track suicide and related events, focusing on the high-risk period in the first three months after discharge. The team will also examine how availability of IOP/PHP services varies by area and whether that variation is linked to differences in post-discharge suicide risk. Results will inform whether expanding these programs in underserved regions could help protect patients during this vulnerable time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults covered by Medicaid who have recently been discharged from a psychiatric inpatient stay and are transitioning back to community care are the most relevant candidates for the findings.
Not a fit: People who are not on Medicaid, who were not recently hospitalized for psychiatric care, or who remain in locked inpatient settings may not directly benefit from the study's results.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the approach works, broader access to IOP/PHP could lower suicide deaths and improve safety for patients after psychiatric hospital discharge.
How similar studies have performed: There is very little direct prior evidence testing whether IOP/PHP reduces suicide after discharge, so this approach addresses a relatively novel and understudied question.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wilkinson, Samuel — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Wilkinson, Samuel
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 below.