Stress and mood swings in major depression: how daily stress and ketamine treatment could help prevent suicidal thoughts
Official title: Ecological Momentary Assessment of Stress-Related Suicidal Ideation and Negative Affect in Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Participants: Preventive Impact of Ketamine
Funded at New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC · NIH-11349213 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research team is studying how everyday stress affects suicidal thoughts and negative feelings in people with major depression, and whether ketamine could help reduce this risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $375,289 |
| NIH project number | 1P50MH139573-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349213 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with major depressive disorder who have a history of suicide attempts, adults with depression without such history, and healthy volunteers.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy volunteers may participate for comparison but are not the target for therapeutic benefit.
What this research studies
This project follows 100 adults with major depression who have a higher risk of suicide due to past attempts, plus 50 with depression but no prior attempts and 50 healthy volunteers. It uses real-time self-reports several times a day for a week to capture how daily stress influences thoughts of suicide and negative moods, along with biological and cognitive measures. The study will look at modifiable factors like gut microbiome, inflammation, attention and memory, and psychological pain to see what might moderate the stress response. Ketamine's potential to influence these factors will be explored to identify targets for preventing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could lead to new strategies to prevent suicidal thoughts and improve emotional resilience in people with depression.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research suggests stress can trigger suicidal thoughts in susceptible individuals, with ketamine showing potential rapid effects on mood and pain processing in some studies.
Where this research is happening
-
New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mann, Joseph John — New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC
- Study coordinator: Mann, Joseph John
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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.