We are excited to partner with Dr. Rundensteiner at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the UMass Medical Center for Accelerating Practices to Eliminate Suicide (CAPES) to leverage smartphone technology to detect risk for mental health crises. See more about CAPES: umassmed.edu/capes/

The period after suicide-related emergency visits is often a particularly high risk time for suicidal behaviors. We are examining cognitive-affective predictors of these behaviors among patients recently seen for a suicide-related visit.

Although dialectical behavior therapy skills training groups are quite effective for reducing self-injury and emotional suffering, it is a long-term treatment. We are comparing several elements of these groups to identify which specific ingredients are most important, and for whom.

This NSF-funded study is being conducted in collaboration with Drs. Markowitz, Reid, and Lickel. This study investigates the trajectories of social and behavioral responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Although many young adults engage in self-injury without any suicidal intent, this behavior is associated with a number of problematic outcomes, including greater risk for suicide. Research has helped us to understand who is at risk for self-injury, but we know less about when people are at greatest risk. It is possible that negative beliefs about oneself interact with stressful situations to create greater risk. This study aims to help identify the joint and interactive influences of beliefs about oneself and stressful life events to predict urges for self-injury among young adults. 

We know that certain personality traits, such as borderline personality traits, increase the tendency to engage in risky behaviors. Although we often think of these behaviors as due to impulsivity, impulsivity itself is a broad and multi-faceted idea. This study focuses on specific aspects of impulsivity and decision making that may best predict risky behaviors. 

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an effective treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD), but we do not know whether the full 12 months of treatment is necessary. Therefore, in collaboration with Dr. Shelley McMain at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Dr. Janice Kuo at Ryerson University in Toronto and Dr. Alex Chapman at Simon Fraser University, we are comparing 6 months​ versus 12 months of DBT in a study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This study is being conducted in Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. 

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This study seeks to understand how beliefs about self-injury affect daily engagement in this harmful behavior. This CIHR-funded study is being conducted in collaboration with Drs. Kim Gratz and Matt Tull at the University of Toledo, and Dr. Alex Chapman at Simon Fraser University. For information on participating in this study, please click here for Vancouver, and here for Toledo.