Motivational Interviewing to Address Suicidal Ideation: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Suicidal Veterans

Research suggests that treatments to reduce suicidal behavior may need to focus on both the motivation to live and the motivation to die to obtain optimal effects. The PI developed a revised version of Motivational Interviewing to Address Suicidal Ideation (MI-SI-R) to help Veterans resolve ambivalence about living by increasing the motivation to live, that consists of three sessions delivered in-person, virtually, or by telephone. Enhanced usual care (EUC) for high-risk Veterans includes safety plans administered or reviewed by research therapists, care coordination, and access to a 24-hour crisis hotline. In a preliminary randomized controlled trial (RCT) in psychiatrically hospitalized Veterans, MI-SI-R plus EUC was associated with 50% fewer suicide attempts and 41% lower likelihood of suicidal ideation compared to EUC alone. The investigators are proposing an RCT comparing MI-SI-R plus EUC (MI-SI-R+EUC) to EUC alone in a sample of 470 high-risk Veterans with recent suicidal crises from three VHA Medical Centers, with "high-risk" defined as a suicide attempt within a month or suicidal ideation > 5 on the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Half (n = 235) will be randomized to MI-SI-R+EUC (three sessions in-person, via Video Connect, or telephone) and the remaining participants (n = 235) will receive EUC alone. All participants will be asked to complete telephone follow-up assessments at 1, 3, 6, and 12-months after randomization. This will allow the investigators to determine the efficacy of MI-SI-R+EUC in reducing risk for suicide attempts (Aim 1) and reducing overall suicidal ideation (Aim 2) when compared to EUC alone.