Suicide after opioid dose reductions in Veterans
Official title: Clinical context of SuicIde following OPIOID transitionS in Veterans, CSI:OPIOIDS-V
Funded at Birmingham VA Medical Center · NIH-11222652 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will collect detailed medical records and interviews to understand why some Veterans die by suicide when their opioid prescriptions are reduced or stopped.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Birmingham VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2022 |
| Project end | September 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003407-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11222652 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This work focuses on Veterans who have experienced opioid dose reduction or discontinuation and on family members, caregivers, or clinicians able to provide information about Veterans who died by suicide after opioid changes.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not prescribed opioids, who have no connection to VA care, or whose suicidal risk is unrelated to opioid changes are unlikely to get direct benefit from this grant's findings.
What this research studies
This project reconstructs the clinical context around suicides that occur during or after opioid tapering or discontinuation for Veterans using psychological autopsies, medical-record review, and interviews with clinicians and family. The team links prescription changes with other health, social, and mental-health factors to identify patterns that may not appear in large databases alone. By combining in-depth qualitative information with existing VA records, the study aims to reveal modifiable and nonmodifiable contributors to these deaths and suggest ways to prevent them.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help VA clinicians spot high-risk situations during opioid dose changes and guide safer tapering practices to reduce suicide risk.
How similar studies have gone: Large database studies have linked opioid prescribing changes with suicide risk, but applying psychological autopsy methods to deeply probe these events in Veterans is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Birmingham VA Medical Center
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kertesz, Stefan G — Birmingham VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Kertesz, Stefan G
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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.