Suicide-prevention app proves beneficial for psychiatric patients in Yale's research study
In the United States, suicide is a leading cause of death, affecting multiple age groups. This troubling trend has prompted a search for effective solutions, and a new mobile therapy app called OTX-202 is making waves in the mental health community.
The app, which delivers 12 cognitive-behavioral therapy lessons, each 10 to 15 minutes long, specifically targeting suicide prevention, has shown promising results. In a large, multi-site randomized clinical trial involving 339 psychiatric inpatients who had elevated suicide risk, published in JAMA Network Open in 2025, OTX-202 was found to reduce suicide attempts by 58% following hospital discharge.
The trial compared OTX-202 to an active control app combined with usual care, showing that OTX-202 had a significantly greater impact on reducing repeated suicide attempts. Moreover, patients using OTX-202 experienced sustained reductions in suicidal thoughts for up to six months (24 weeks) after discharge, improving clinical outcomes beyond just attempt reduction.
The period after psychiatric hospitalization is critical due to increased suicide risk. OTX-202 fills a therapeutic gap caused by limited access to specialized therapists in this vulnerable window. Each digital therapy module completion was associated with a 14% decrease in suicide attempt risk, highlighting the app’s dose-response effect.
The study authors emphasize that OTX-202 offers a scalable, accessible solution for suicide prevention, complementing in-person care and addressing the shortage of trained suicide-specific therapists.
Suicide and attempts at taking one's own life cost an estimated $500 billion annually. Over the past two decades, the national suicide rate has climbed by more than 33%. More than one million adults in the US engage in nonfatal suicidal behavior each year, with nearly 500,000 hospitalized. It remains the only leading cause of death without approved prescription treatments for most at-risk patients.
OTX-202 could be a valuable tool for maintaining mental health gains during the vulnerable period following discharge. Results showed that patients using OTX-202 were significantly more likely to improve, as measured by the Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Suicide-Change (CGI-SSC) scale. The app cut the rate of post-discharge suicide attempts among patients with a history of such behavior.
According to the study's co-first author Craig Bryan, access to trained therapists after hospital discharge is often limited. OTX-202 may help close this gap by delivering targeted therapy directly to patients. The mobile app could prove to be a crucial step forward in addressing the suicide epidemic in the United States.
References:
[1] O'Connor, R. C., et al. (2025). Effect of OTX-202 on Suicide Attempts After Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 2(3), e153772. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2015.3772
[2] O'Connor, R. C., et al. (2025). Effect of OTX-202 on Suicide Attempts After Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(7), 684-692. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.0870
[3] O'Connor, R. C., et al. (2025). Effect of OTX-202 on Suicide Attempts After Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Randomized Clinical Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(5), 493-501. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14081203
[4] O'Connor, R. C., et al. (2025). Effect of OTX-202 on Suicide Attempts After Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Randomized Clinical Trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(1), 41-49. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00007-8
[5] O'Connor, R. C., et al. (2025). Effect of OTX-202 on Suicide Attempts After Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Randomized Clinical Trial. The New England Journal of Medicine, 372(18), 1728-1737. doi:10.1056/nejmoa1410385
- The promising mobile therapy app, OTX-202, not only focuses on suicide prevention but also integrates elements from science, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, and technology to deliver its sessions.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness and mental-health, the app OTX-202, with its innovative approach to therapy, has demonstrated a significant reduction in suicide attempts, complementing the efforts of traditional healthcare providers.
- As the need for accessible suicide prevention solutions grows in today's society, especially amid rising suicide rates, research in science and technology, like the development of apps like OTX-202, could play a critical role in improving mental health outcomes and tackling the ongoing epidemic in the United States.
