Research Roundup August 2026: Recently Published Findings From AFSP-Funded Studies

The Research Roundup is a regular update of recently published findings in suicide prevention research. AFSP-funded studies included in this roundup examined how…

• Adding another medication after ketamine treatment may extend its effects
• Culturally-centered, family-based therapy can help recovery after a suicidal crisis for Latinx youth
• Teens and caregivers want lethal means safety planning that is collaborative and practical, and
• Trusted messengers and tailored communication can strengthen firearm safety conversations with older adults

Researcher: Alan Schatzberg, MD
Institution: Stanford University
Grant Type: 2019 Focus Grant – $1,416,096
Grant Title: Opiate Suicide Study in Patients with Major Depression

Suicidal thoughts are a major driver of emergency and intensive psychiatric care, yet there are still no medications specifically approved to reduce suicidal ideation in people with major depressive disorder. Ketamine has emerged as one of the most promising options because it can lessen suicidal thoughts within hours, much faster than conventional antidepressants. The challenge is that these effects often fade quickly, leaving patients to rely on repeated infusions that can be costly, difficult to access, and time-consuming to maintain. Researchers have therefore been searching for a safe, practical follow-on treatment that could preserve ketamine’s rapid benefits. Because ketamine’s effects may partly involve the brain’s opioid system (i.e., parts of the brain involved in regulating pain, reward, and mood), low-dose buprenorphine, a commonly prescribed treatment for opioid use disorder, has been proposed as one possible way to extend this relief after the initial infusion.

With his AFSP-funded grant, Dr. Alan Schatzberg and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 50 adults with major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation. All participants received one intravenous ketamine infusion, followed two days later by four weeks of either low-dose buprenorphine or placebo; 45 participants completed at least one week of follow-up treatment and were included in the primary analysis. 

Suicidal ideation decreased in both groups, but participants receiving buprenorphine showed greater and more sustained improvement, with 78% achieving at least a 50% reduction in suicidal ideation by the end of treatment, compared with 48% of those receiving placebo achieving the same level of reduction. Depression outcomes did not differ significantly between groups, suggesting that suicidal thoughts may respond through pathways that are partly distinct from overall depressive symptoms. No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred. This small, single-site study requires replication before this approach can be adopted more broadly. These early findings point toward a potentially scalable way to extend ketamine’s benefits and provide sustained recovery for people experiencing suicidal thoughts. Read AFSP’s press release about the study.

Citation: Tucciarone, J. M., Bandeira, I. D., Blasey, C., Kratter, I. H., Ehrie, J., Keller, J., Pankow, H., Chang, M., Hawkins, J., Evers, A. G., Bernert, R., DeBattista, C., Truong, H., Rodriguez, C. I., Heifets, B. D., & Schatzberg, A. F. (2026). Low-Dose Buprenorphine Following Ketamine Treatment for Suicidal Ideation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The American journal of psychiatry, 183(6), 409–419. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20250840 

Researcher: Yovanska Duarté-Vélez, PhD
Institution: Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
Grant Type: 2023 Focus Grant — $1,500,000
Grant Title: A New Clinical Model for the Engagement of Latinx Youth with Suicidal Behavior and their Families in a Culturally Centered CBT Treatment

Latinx adolescents in the United States have experienced concerning increases in suicide attempts, yet they remain underrepresented in treatment research and face persistent barriers to receiving accessible, high-quality, culturally relevant mental health care. Standard interventions may teach important coping skills without fully addressing the broader experiences shaping a young person’s distress, including language differences, discrimination, immigration and acculturation pressures, family expectations, and conflicts surrounding gender or sexual identity. These experiences can also create painful misunderstandings between adolescents and caregivers at precisely the moment when communication and connection are most needed. Researchers have therefore been developing treatments that combine evidence-based suicide prevention strategies with culturally responsive, identity-affirming, and family-centered support. 

Building on the culturally centered treatment approach now being advanced through her AFSP-funded work, Dr. Yovanska Duarte-Vélez and colleagues conducted the first randomized clinical trial in the United States focused exclusively on Latinx adolescents with suicidal behaviors. The study enrolled 114 youth ages 12 to 17 following a suicidal crisis and assigned them to either Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behavior or treatment as usual. Delivered primarily through intensive home-based services by bilingual, master’s-level counselors, the therapy combined cognitive and behavioral coping skills with work on adolescent identity, parenting, family communication, and cultural differences between youth and caregivers. 

At six months, 14% of adolescents receiving the culturally centered therapy had experienced a suicide attempt, compared with approximately 25% of those receiving treatment as usual, representing about half the risk. They were also less likely to experience suicide-related emergency visits or hospitalizations and nonsuicidal self-injury. By 12 months, outcomes had improved in both groups and no longer differed significantly, suggesting that longer or continued support may be needed to sustain the intervention’s early advantage. Overall, the findings demonstrate that culturally and identity-informed care can be delivered successfully in community settings and may meaningfully jumpstart early gains in recovery for Latinx youth and families following a suicidal crisis.

Citation: Yovanska Duarte-Vélez, Gisela Jimenez-Colon, Lucas Nocera, Judelysse Gomez, Julio Tavarez, Richard N. Jones, Deidre Donaldson, Michelle Aiello, Andrea Torres Lopez, Irene Sanchez & Anthony Spirito (07 Jul 2026): Randomized Controlled Trial: Behavioral Outcomes of Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behaviors in Latinx Adolescents, Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2026.2687880

Researchers: Maya Haasz, MD
Institution: University of Denver, School
Grant Type: 2024 Early Career Research Grant – $140,000
Grant Title: TEEN LENS: TEen ENgaged LEthal meaNS safety planning

Emergency departments increasingly screen young people for suicide risk, but identifying risk is only the beginning; families also need practical guidance before returning home. Lethal means safety counseling helps caregivers temporarily reduce access to firearms, medications, and other potentially dangerous items during periods of heightened risk. This creates time and distance between a suicidal impulse and suicidal behavior and also offers a greater opportunity for intervention. Although this is a recommended part of emergency care, it is not delivered consistently, and existing tools have largely been designed for adults or caregivers without directly involving teens. Understanding how young people and their families want these conversations to happen is therefore essential to creating support that feels respectful, useful, and realistic rather than frightening or impersonal.

With her AFSP-funded grant, Dr. Maya Haasz and colleagues interviewed 14 teens ages 13 to 17, and 19 caregivers following pediatric emergency department visits in which the teen screened positive for nonacute suicide risk and had access to a firearm. Participants viewed lethal means safety counseling as beneficial and said it could help families feel cared for, better informed, and more prepared to respond after discharge. They recommended a brief, family-centered tool that uses clear and straightforward language, offers hopeful but non-clichéd messages, explains why reducing access matters, and ends with a specific, personalized action plan. 

Teens and caregivers also favored technology-based options with separate spaces for each of them, follow-up check-ins after the visit, and accommodations for differences in language, financial resources, technology access, and family dynamics. At the same time, participants emphasized the need to balance caregiver responsibility for safety with teens’ privacy, autonomy, and involvement in decision-making. These findings will guide the development of a pediatric emergency department intervention that treats lethal means safety planning not simply as a checklist, but as an opportunity to help teens feel seen and families leave with a plan they can realistically carry out.

Citation: Haasz, M., Castaneda, M., Cafferty, R., Betz, M., Sanders, R., & Knoepke, C. (2026). "It's Just So Important to Make Them Feel Seen": Teen and Caregiver Perspectives of Lethal Means Safety Planning for the Emergency Department. Annals of emergency medicine, S0196-0644(26)00368-9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2026.06.004      

Researcher: Laura Prater, PhD, MPH
Institution: University of Washington
Grant Type: 2021 Early Career Researcher Grant – $90,000
Grant Title: Development of a Decision Aid to Prevent Firearm Suicide Among Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment/early Dementia

Older adults have a particularly high rate of firearm suicide, yet far less is known about how to discuss firearm safety with them in ways that feel respectful, credible, and useful. This question is especially important for older adults living with depression or early cognitive changes, which may affect judgment, memory, or the ability to respond safely during periods of distress. Although safer storage, temporary transfer, or relinquishment can reduce access when a firearm poses a risk, these conversations may be ineffective when they rely on unfamiliar terminology, overlook why someone owns a firearm, or fail to address practical questions about cost, storage options, and local transfer laws. Learning directly from older firearm owners can help shape prevention efforts that protect safety without dismissing autonomy, experience, or personal values.

With her AFSP-funded grant, Dr. Laura Prater and colleagues conducted in-depth interviews with 20 firearm-owning adults age 60 and older from the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho region who had depression, mild cognitive impairment, or both. Participants were open to firearm safety counseling, but emphasized that the message and messenger matter. They preferred information delivered by trusted and knowledgeable people, including healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, and fellow firearm owners, and wanted personal stories paired with clear statistics and technical facts. 

Participants also asked for practical comparisons of storage methods, including cost and effectiveness, as well as guidance on how to safely transfer, sell, or relinquish a firearm when needed. Accurate terminology, balanced language, and review by people with firearm experience were seen as essential to maintaining trust. Video was viewed as an acceptable and often appealing way to deliver information. These findings informed the development of the Making Informed Choices decision aid and offer a practical roadmap for helping health systems and community partners engage older firearm owners in conversations that are credible, collaborative, and focused on keeping people safe.

Citation: Prater LC, Ross R, Cole AM, et al Trusted voices and tailored messaging: public health approaches to firearm safety for older adult firearm owners in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) region Injury Prevention Published Online First: 06 July 2026. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2025-046080   

Learn more about the AFSP research grants featured in this monthly roundup, as well as others, here.