ELIOS online referral and support for young people with suicidal thoughts

Online Referral and Intervention to Prevent Adolescent and Young Adult Suicide

Not applicable Interventional University Hospital, Lille · NCT04642157

This project will test whether ELIOS, an online web-clinician contact system, can reduce suicidal thoughts in French adolescents and young adults who seek help online.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment396 (estimated)
Ages18 Years to 25 Years
SexAll
SponsorUniversity Hospital, Lille Academic / other
Locations1 site (Lille)
Trial IDNCT04642157 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

ORIAS is a randomized controlled trial comparing the ELIOS digital outreach and intervention system to standard online professional contact among adolescents and young adults in France who reach out for suicidal ideation. Participants randomized to ELIOS receive proactive contacts and short-term counseling from trained web-clinicians (psychologists and nurses supervised by psychiatrists) via social media and other online channels, with scheduled recontacts at 24 hours, 72 hours and 7 days as needed. The control arm receives the same generic mental health resources and professional contact information but not the ELIOS protocol. The primary outcome is change in suicidality at three months, with additional measures of help-seeking motivation and linkage to care.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are French-speaking adolescents and young adults (no minors) up to about age 25 who have experienced suicidal ideation within the week before contacting the service and who can access social media or web channels.

Not a fit: People contacting on behalf of someone else, non-French speakers, those living outside France, and minors are not eligible and therefore will not benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, ELIOS could reduce suicidal thoughts and increase timely connection to care for distressed young people who seek help online.

How similar studies have performed: Internet-based suicide prevention trials are limited and randomized evidence is scarce, so ELIOS represents a novel, relatively untested approach tailored to social media interaction.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* To spontaneously contact the ELIOS online system
* To have been experiencing suicidal ideations in the week prior the contact
* To live in France and speak French
* To provide informed consent

For ethical reasons, we decided not to include minors, due to impossibility of getting the parental authorizations without compromising the facilitation role of the system. However, most recent expert consensus consider that adolescence extends to 25 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

* To contact the ELIOS online system for a relative or an acquaintance

Where this trial is running

Lille

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions SuicidePreventionWebSocial mediaAdolescenceYouth
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.