CASPAR
Research project
Suicidal behaviour often occurs outside treatment hours, resulting in attempted or completed suicides, crisis interventions and hospital admissions. Smartphone-based safety planning and self-monitoring can provide tools for patients to avoid situations of high risk, to organise support in times of suicidal crisis, and avoid relapse.
The primary objective of the CASPAR (Continuous Assessment for Suicide Prevention and Research) pilot-study is an implementation of smartphone-based safety planning and real-time self-monitoring for patients with a major depression or dysthymia and suicide risk in mental health care. This feasibility study is a single cohort design among patients of three mental health centres. The study will not test the effect of an intervention. The smartphone applications are meant to augment existing treatment. Dutch suicide prevention guidelines recommend safety planning with mental health care patients who are at elevated risk of engaging in suicidal behaviour, so many participating patients will already have a safety plan and the only difference is that it will be electronic instead of on paper. Self-monitoring is comparable with keeping a mood diary, which is often used in treatment.
Contact information
Wouter van Ballegooijen
