Developing a Recovery-Oriented Suicide Prevention Program for Young People at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

Young people at clinical high risk for psychosis are more likely to experience suicide thoughts than the general population, but there are few suicide prevention programs designed specifically for them. This study will develop and evaluate a recovery-oriented suicide prevention group program for young people at clinical high risk for psychosis.

The program will be led by a clinician and a peer with lived experience. It will help participants identify reasons for living, build hope, set meaningful recovery goals, strengthen social connections, and learn strategies to better remember and use suicide prevention strategies developed during the program. Caregivers will also be invited to participate in a session to learn ways to support their young person.

The study will first gather feedback from participants, caregivers, clinicians, and community advisors to refine the program. Researchers will then compare the program plus standard care with standard care alone to determine whether it improves personal recovery and increases participants' ability to remember and use suicide prevention strategies. Researchers will also collect feedback from participants and program staff to better understand how the program can be integrated into early psychosis services.