Digital tools to help youth seek care sooner when at risk for psychosis
Digital Strategies to Advance Help-Seeking in Youth at Clinical High Risk for Developing Psychosis
This project will test personalized digital messages and online strategies to help people ages 12–29 who screen positive for psychosis risk find and start local care sooner.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 25000 (estimated) |
| Ages | 12 Years to 29 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Columbia University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (New York, New York) |
| Trial ID | NCT06774417 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
The project creates a Digital Laboratory that uses Mental Health America's national online screening to identify 25,000 youth ages 12–29 who screen positive for psychosis risk and to define help-seeking subtypes. It will use Micro-Randomized Trials and a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) to iteratively develop and optimize personalized digital nudges and engagement strategies. The team will identify the most accurate online screening threshold for clinical high risk (CHR) and connect indicated youth to local AMP-SCZ clinical programs across the U.S. through an academic–industry partnership that includes Columbia, UCSF, UCD, Mental Health America, and other collaborators.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are English-speaking youth ages 12–29 who screen positive on Mental Health America's PQ-B and live within about 50 miles of a U.S.-based AMP-SCZ clinic.
Not a fit: People who live outside the 50-mile catchment of participating AMP-SCZ sites, who cannot complete the English PQ-B online, or who do not screen positive for psychosis risk are unlikely to benefit from the intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could shorten delays to treatment by helping at-risk youth navigate online steps and reach appropriate local care faster.
How similar studies have performed: Adaptive digital engagement methods and micro-randomized designs have shown promise in other mental health areas, but applying these methods specifically to CHR youth and large-scale online screening is largely novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Ages 12-29 years * Living within a 50-mile radius of a US based AMP-SCZ site * Able to complete the English language PQ-B on MHA's screening platform
Where this trial is running
New York, New York
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center — New York, New York, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Michael Birnbaum, MD — Columbia University
- Study coordinator: Michael Birnbaum, MD
- Email: mlb2216@cumc.columbia.edu
- Phone: 212-523-2154
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.