International Trials Day - CARMS
CARMS (Cognitive AppRoaches to coMbatting Suicidality)
is a two armed trial with a treatment condition comprising a suicide focused talking therapy together with treatment as usual, and a control condition of treatment as usual alone.
CARMS is unique in offering a suicide focused psychological therapy. Two inclusion criteria for the participants were that they had non-affective psychosis (e.g., schizophrenia) and suicidal experiences (e.g., thoughts, plans, acts and urges) within the past three months. Participants also had to be in the care of National Health Service (NHS) mental health teams (e.g., early intervention, community health, crisis care, home treatment, inpatient psychiatric services) and have a care co-ordinator.
Those in the treatment condition were offered up to 24 weeks of individual therapy estimated at 50 minutes duration, by up to five CARMS therapists. Participants were assessed at time points of baseline and 6 and 12 month follow-up time points using measures of suicidality and precursors of suicidality, such as, feelings of defeat, entrapment and hopelessness.
Qualitative work was nested within the trial design and explored participant’s perceptions of what led them to have suicidal thoughts and/or engage in suicidal acts together with exploring their experiences of the suicide focused therapy.
