Patient case: 61-year-old male with melanoma; genetic feature: BRAF amplification

Clinical trial: Men and Providers Preventing Suicide (MAPS)

Summary: This study will determine if suicidal middle-aged men who use a personalized computer program addressing suicide risk before a primary care visit are more likely to discuss suicide and accept treatment, reducing their suicide preparatory behaviors and thoughts.This is important because half of all men who die by suicide visit primary care within a month of death, yet few broach the topic, missing chances for prevention.

Detailed description: In this study, the investigators will enroll middle-aged men with active suicide thoughts in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine whether their use of the Men and Providers Preventing Suicide (MAPS) tailored interactive multimedia patient activation program immediately before a primary care provider (PCP) visit, linked with integrated telephone evidence-based follow-up care (TEBFC) (vs. attention control exposure linked with TEBFC), reduces suicide preparatory behaviors and ideation over 3 months. About half of all middle-aged men who die by suicide are seen by a PCP within a month of dying, suggesting the value of primary care-based suicide prevention efforts, to complement strategies in other settings. Current impediments to primary care-based prevention are that many suicidal middle-aged men do not visit a PCP, and among those who do the topic of suicide is rarely broached, due to societal gender-linked norms (e.g., toughness); stigma; spurious concerns that talking about suicide increases risk; competing time demands; and lack of resources to cope with positive responses. PCP-targeted educational interventions have increased detection of suicidal men, but have inconsistently affected suicide behaviors, and still many suicidal men went undetected. Suicide behaviors are more likely to be reduced by evidence-based follow-up care - supportive follow-up contact and collaborative mental health care. However, such care can only be effective if at-risk men visit a PCP who identifies suicide risk and offers the care, and the men accept it. Thus, there is a pressing need to study the use of innovative tools like MAPS to activate at risk middle-aged men to signal their receptiveness to suicide discussion and care, prompting PCP inquiry and referrals to a form of follow-up care that is feasible for most practices to implement (e.g., TEBFC).

Eligibility: Inclusion Criteria:
  -  Self-identified male gender
  -  Aged 35-64 years
  -  Has a PCP at a primary care office in one of the two participating health systems who is actively enrolled in the RCT
  -  Active suicide thoughts within past 2 weeks
  -  Able to read and speak English; and self-reported adequate vision, hearing, and hand function to engage with an interactive computer program on a touchscreen electronic tablet device.
  Exclusion Criteria:
  -  Reported or apparent highly unstable medical status (e.g. acute decompensated heart failure requiring immediate care)
  -  Reported or apparent highly unstable mental health status (e.g. acute uncontrolled psychosis)
  -  Presence of terminal illness with death anticipated within 3 months
  -  Plan to leave the current primary care office (e.g., transfer care) within 3 months
  -  Incarcerated
  -  Inability to understand and/or provide informed consent, following appropriate explanation

Relevance to patient case: not relevant