Mobile app to help prevent suicide in teens
Official title: An Efficacy Trial of Mobile Technology for Reducing and Preventing Adolescent Suicide
Funded at Oui Therapeutics, INC · NIH-11078341 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A smartphone-based therapy app designed to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in teenagers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oui Therapeutics, INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2021 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $596,110 |
| NIH project number | 5R42MH125691-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11078341 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adolescents who have recent suicidal thoughts or behaviors and can use a smartphone for app-based therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Those without access to a smartphone, who need immediate inpatient care, or who prefer non-digital therapies may not benefit from this app-based approach.
What this research studies
If you join, you would use a smartphone app that delivers therapeutic tools aimed at lowering suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Teen participants will be randomly assigned to receive the enhanced app or a comparison condition and will complete regular questionnaires and safety checks. The research team will monitor responses and reach out if there are signs of immediate risk. The study tests whether this mobile approach can lower suicide-related thoughts and behaviors over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give teens an accessible on-phone tool to help reduce suicidal thoughts and attempts.
How similar studies have gone: Some digital cognitive-behavioral and suicide-prevention apps have shown promise, but rigorous randomized trials are still limited and this builds on a phase I beta version.
Where this research is happening
-
Oui Therapeutics, INC
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Simon, Patricia — Oui Therapeutics, INC
- Study coordinator: Simon, Patricia
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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.