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

Young people at clinical high risk for psychosis experience elevated rates of suicidethoughts and behaviors, yet there are few suicide prevention interventions designedspecifically for this population. This study will develop and evaluate arecovery‐oriented suicide prevention group intervention that integrates peer support withclinician‐led care and is designed for implementation within early psychosis services.This hybrid type 1 effectiveness‐implementation study will be conducted overapproximately three years at two early psychosis programs. During the first phase, theintervention will be refined through input from young people with lived experience,caregivers, clinicians, and community advisors, followed by an open trial to evaluatefeasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and any additional adaptations needed beforebroader evaluation.The second phase will consist of a pilot randomized controlled trial comparing theintervention plus standard care with standard care alone. The study will examinepreliminary effects on personal recovery and participants' ability to remember and usesuicide prevention strategies.The final phase will evaluate factors that may influence future implementation of theintervention in routine early psychosis services. Interviews with participants andprogram staff will be used to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation and toinform resources that support future adoption and sustainability if the interventionproves promising.