Suicide Treatment Alternatives for Teens

Quasi-Randomized trial to compare inpatient care versus outpatient crisis intervention clinic. This study plans to enroll up to 1,000 participants across 4 sites in a 5 years period.

To address the unmet need of optimizing the treatment and management for adolescent suicidality, the investigators propose to evaluate if Outpatient Crisis Intervention Clinic (OCIC) leads to better treatment outcomes than inpatient treatment. To achieve this goal, the investigators propose a multi- site study to evaluate if OCIC, compared with inpatient care, can lead to a lower risk of a suicidal event (primary outcome) as well as higher treatment satisfaction (TS) and satisfaction with life (SL) (secondary outcomes) of both the legal guardians/parents and patients. Furthermore, the investigators will assess which clinical and socioeconomic factors at baseline may affect the treatment outcomes. With the results from the proposed study, the investigators will be able to reduce the family and clinician decisional uncertainty about the best treatment setting for suicidal adolescents in the target population. The results will significantly help patients, families, and clinicians with this decision-making process and improve outcomes for suicidal adolescents. The study has been designed to accomplish the following Specific Aims (SA):

SA1: Measure the differences between OCIC and inpatient treatment in the time to first recurrence of a suicidal event (a suicide attempt, interrupted attempt, hospitalization because of suicidal risk, an emergency/urgent evaluation because of suicidal risk, and a death by suicide) and the number of suicidal events over 30 days, 90 days and 180 days for suicidal adolescents after their baseline Emergency Department (ED) visits.

Hypothesis (H) 1.1: Assignment with randomization to OCIC from the ED will lead to a longer time to the first recurrence of a suicidal event compared to inpatient treatment after 30 days, 90 days and 180 days from the baseline ED visit for suicidality. H1.2 Assignment with randomization to OCIC will lead to a lower number suicidal events over 30 days, 90 days and 180 days when compared to inpatient treatment. H1.3 Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects \[HTE\]: The investigators will examine to what degree the following specific clinical features and sociodemographic features differ for patients who respond to OCIC or inpatient psychiatry treatment. Response is defined by a delay in first recurrence of a suicidal event and a lower number of suicidal events over 30 days, 90 days and 180 days. Clinical features: 1) Severity of suicidal ideation at baseline and over 180 days; 2) number of suicidal events at baseline only; 3) Substance use at baseline and over 180 days. Sociodemographic features at baseline: 1) Age 2) Gender 3) Gender Identity 4) Type of Insurance (public insurance/no insurance/private) 5) Ethnicity (Hispanic/Non); 6) Race (African-American (AA) versus non-African American); 7) Living with one biological parent, two biological parents, a stepparent, a relative, or other SA2: Assess the treatment satisfaction (TS) and satisfaction with life (SL) across OCIC and inpatient treatment.

H2.1: Overall, patients and legal guardians/parents in the OCIC group will have higher TS (at the completion of treatment in OCIC or inpatient psychiatry) and better SL than the inpatient treatment group over30 days, 90 and 180 days.

SA3: As an exploratory aim, assess the demographics and potential barriers to treatment for a third comparator of the "no show" group who were randomized to OCIC or inpatient treatment but never showed up or left the inpatient unit against medical advice (AMA).

H3.1: The no show group (the third comparator) who did not arrive for any OCIC appointments or left AMA from inpatient treatment will differ from the other comparators with respect to the following barriers to treatment: 1) Age 2) Gender 3) Type of Insurance (public insurance/no insurance/private) 4) Ethnicity (Hispanic/Non) 64; 5) Race (African-American (AA) versus non-African American) ; 6) Living with one biological parent, two biological parents, a stepparent, a relative, or other H3.2: The no show group will have significantly shorter time to first recurrence of a suicidal event and a larger number of suicidal events over 30 days, 90 days and 180 days in comparison to the other patients.

SA4: As a secondary aim, evaluate the difference of outcomes (see outcomes in SA1 and SA2) in week-by-week treatment allocation followers and treatment switchers.

SA 5: As a secondary aim, evaluate the difference in outcomes between in-person OCIC services and telehealth OCIC services.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adolescents that are 12 through 17 years old (including 17 year olds who will turn 18 years old during the course of the study).
2. Are brought to the Emergency Department (ED) due to suicidal thoughts or behaviors
3. Require a higher level of care (OCIC or Inpatient) indicated by clinician determination and a CHRT-SR score of 15 to 52.
4. The presence of a legal guardian
5. Capable of giving signed informed consent/assent, which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the informed consent form (ICF) and in this protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Adolescents with suicidal thoughts that place themselves at a serious imminent risk of suicide based on clinical judgment.
2. Adolescents who require 24 hour/day supervision but no adult can provide 24 hour/day supervision outside of the hospital
3. Adolescents without the ability to read and answer survey questions
4. Adolescents that are non-English speaking due to the scales and surveys that are used for this study only being available in English.