Digital bibliotherapy as a scalable intervention for suicidal thoughts: A randomized controlled trial.

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Public Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Suicide is a significant public health issue in the U.S.
• Effective and scalable interventions for suicidal ideation are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the efficacy of digital narrative-based bibliotherapy for reducing suicidal desire.
• To investigate if perceived shared experience and optimism mediate the intervention's effect.

Main Methods:

• A randomized waitlist-controlled trial involving 528 adults on a mental health social media platform.
• Participants received daily suicide narratives for 14 days or were on a waitlist.
• The primary outcome was daily desire to die, assessed throughout the trial and at follow-up.

Main Results:

• The treatment group showed a significantly lower desire to die compared to the control group.
• This reduction was observed during the intervention period and at 2-week follow-up.
• Increased perceived shared experience and optimism mediated the intervention's effect on suicidal desire.

Conclusions:

• Digital narrative-based bibliotherapy shows promise as an effective intervention for individuals at risk of suicide.
• The intervention may enhance feelings of shared experience and optimism.
• Further research is needed to confirm generalizability across different populations and platforms.