Abstract
BackgroundSuicide is a major cause of preventable death, and suicidal behaviour is prevalent in acute psychiatric wards. People admitted to acute psychiatric wards often experience repeated episodes of suicidal behaviour, causing great distress and heavy use of NHS services. There is little research investigating effective psychological treatments for suicidal patients in inpatient settings although previous research has found support for psychological therapies which specifically target suicidal behaviour. This paper describes the protocol of a single blind RCT to investigate the acceptability and feasibility of a cognitive behavioural intervention targeting suicidality (CBSP) for suicidal people in acute psychiatric wards.Methods/DesignA single blind RCT comparing treatment as usual (TAU) to TAU plus Cognitive Behavioural Suicide Prevention (CBSP) therapy (TAU + CBSP). Sixty participants (aged 18–65 years) who are suicidal, or have been within the past 3 months, will be recruited from NHS trusts in the North West of England. Our primary objective is to determine whether CBSP is feasible, acceptable and efficacious when compared to patients who receive TAU alone. Secondary aims are the impact of CBSP on suicidal thinking, behaviours, functioning, quality of life, service use and psychological factors associated with suicide. Assessments take place at baseline, 6 weeks and 6 months (end of treatment). The analysis will report on the feasibility and acceptability of CBSP. Qualitative data from staff and service users will inform feasibility and acceptability data.DiscussionPsychiatric inpatients are a high-risk group and the use of psychological therapies in these settings is rare and requires evaluation. This study is essential to investigate the unique contextual challenges involved in delivering psychological therapy to suicidal inpatients and to identify any necessary modifications required within inpatient settings. The findings will inform a larger, definitive trial.Trial registration15 March 2012, PB-PG-1111-26026, NIHR ISRCTN17890126.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-016-1192-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Suicide is a major cause of preventable death, and suicidal behaviour is prevalent in acute psychiatric wards
This study is essential to investigate the unique contextual challenges involved in delivering psychological therapy to suicidal inpatients and to identify any necessary modifications required within inpatient settings
The strength of the Inpatient Suicide Intervention and Therapy Evaluation (INSITE) pilot Randomised controlled trial (RCT) is that it will be one of the first to investigate the use of psychological therapies in acute psychiatric wards including a range of outcomes
Summary
The strength of the INSITE pilot RCT is that it will be one of the first to investigate the use of psychological therapies in acute psychiatric wards including a range of outcomes. It will explore key issues relating to experiences of suicidal patients and pragmatic issues that will inform a larger, definitive RCT that will examine the effectiveness of CBSP in inpatient settings, treatment uptake and recruitment. CBSP has been employed in a community setting and for prisoners, but this study will examine how the therapy should be modified for acute inpatients. In addition to the research aims outlined, we are interested in the impact that the introduction of CBSP had on a number of patient and staff outcomes, including: patient experience of therapy; impact on suicidality; and ward staff views on the use of CBSP in the inpatient setting. YA: provides project management, oversees and supervises service user involvement and training, conducts qualitative work.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
