Suicidality

Research on suicidality is a central priority of the UTHealth Houston Center for Interventional Psychiatry. The Center’s work focuses on improving the assessment, prediction, and treatment of suicidal ideation and behavior, particularly in individuals with severe mood disorders and treatment-resistant illness.

Given the urgency and complexity of suicidal states, the Center’s research program emphasizes rapid-acting interventions, clinical decision-making in high-risk settings, and longitudinal outcomes following acute treatment.

Research Focus Areas

Research initiatives related to suicidality include:

  • Acute suicidal ideation and behavior in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder
  • Rapid-acting treatments for suicidal depression
  • Comparative effectiveness of interventional therapies in high-risk populations
  • Predictors of response and relapse following acute stabilization
  • Measurement-based assessment of suicide risk over time
  • Transitions of care and outcomes following inpatient and intensive treatment

These efforts aim to inform safer, more effective approaches to managing suicidal risk across clinical settings.

Interventional and Translational Research

A defining feature of the Center’s suicidality research is its integration of interventional psychiatry into the study of acute risk states. Ongoing and recent studies examine:

  • Rapid reduction of suicidal ideation using electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Ketamine-based interventions for acute suicidal depression
  • Comparative effectiveness of interventional treatments in emergency and inpatient contexts
  • Neurobiological and clinical mechanisms underlying rapid symptom improvement

This work bridges clinical urgency with scientific rigor, helping to refine treatment selection when time is critical.

Integration With Clinical Care

Suicidality research is embedded within the Center’s clinical programs, including:

  • Inpatient psychiatric care on DCB 4C at the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center
  • Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs for high-risk patients
  • The Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) Program, when suicidality occurs in the context of refractory mood illness

This integration allows research findings to inform real-world care pathways and safety planning directly.

Collaboration and Ethical Oversight

All suicidality research is conducted under Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and adheres to strict ethical and safety standards. Studies prioritize:

  • Careful participant screening and risk assessment
  • Continuous monitoring and crisis-response protocols
  • Informed consent and transparency regarding risks and benefits

The Center collaborates with investigators across UTHealth Houston and with national partners to advance the science of suicide prevention and intervention.

Through its research on suicidality, the Center aims to contribute to evidence-based, time-sensitive, and life-saving approaches for individuals experiencing the most severe and high-risk psychiatric states.