Suicide prevention support in rural Nepal primary care
Official title: Integrating a suicide prevention package of strategies into decentralized primary health care systems: an implementation pilot study in rural Nepal
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11506145 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project brings practical suicide-prevention supports to primary care clinics and community health workers in rural Nepal to help people who are at risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $102,585 |
| NIH project number | 3R34MH135122-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11506145 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people in the rural Nepali communities who seek care at participating primary clinics and are identified as having suicidal thoughts or behaviors, along with the community health workers who will deliver follow-up support.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside the pilot areas, those not in contact with participating clinics or unwilling to accept CHW visits, or individuals needing specialized psychiatric hospitalization may not benefit from this pilot.
What this research studies
You and local health workers will help adapt WHO-style suicide guidance so it fits local needs and culture. Primary care staff and community health workers will be trained to use routine screening, decision aids, safety planning, and scheduled follow-up contacts. The team will add supportive supervision and simple digital tracking to make sure people identified at risk are followed over time. The package will be piloted in rural clinics to see how well it works in everyday care and what needs to change.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, clinics and community health workers could find and follow people at risk more reliably, which could reduce crises and improve safety in these communities.
How similar studies have gone: Training primary care teams and task-shifting to community health workers has helped treat depression and anxiety in similar settings, but systematic integration of suicide screening and follow-up in low-resource primary care is relatively new and less proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hagaman, Ashley K — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Hagaman, Ashley K
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Bringing suicide prevention into local primary health care in rural Nepal
This project builds and pilots simple tools to help local primary care teams and community health workers in rural Nepal find and support people at risk of suicide.
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Implementing suicide prevention strategies in rural Nepal's primary health care
This study is working to help prevent suicide in rural Nepal by training local health workers to spot and support people at risk, making sure the approach fits the community's needs, and testing new ways to improve mental health care for everyone.
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Mobile safety planning for at-risk young adults
A digital, text-based safety planning program for young adults (ages 18–24) to help prevent suicide and stay connected to support.
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INCLUSAVE: helping young adults with IDD access suicide-prevention trainings
A new NIH grant studies whether two proven gatekeeper trainings (ASIST and safeTALK) can be delivered in inclusive settings to support young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their communities.
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Technology-assisted suicide prevention for youth in Colombian school settings
A youth-focused program will test a culturally tailored digital platform and teacher training to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in schools.
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Qnnections: A Social Connection‑Focused Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Veterans
A new group-based program tailored for LGBTQ+ Veterans aims to strengthen belonging and reduce burdensomeness to help prevent suicide.
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.