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Clinical Research at BHIDC

BHIDC conducts community-partnered clinical research to improve quality of care and associated outcomes for people with mental health disparities. Our goal is to improve the effectiveness of treatments, determine which treatments work best for who, and understand how to best adapt existing treatments to meet the unique needs of the patients we serve.

BHIDC has several on-going clinical trials that you can read about below. 

These projects generally provide free therapy and often some form of financial compensation for participation. Many of these studies are located at the BHIDC though some are being led by teams outside of Utah. Contact information and qualifying criteria for current studies can be found below.

Current Studies

Now Recruiting Study Participants

Computational psychiatry refers to combining large scale clinical data sets with cutting-edge machine learning techniques to advance diagnosis, treatment development, treatment selection, and prediction of treatment outcomes in mental health care. This has the potential to revolutionize mental health care, however, one of the largest existing roadblocks to realizing this potential is the lack of high quality, clinically relevant data sets that can be used by computational researchers. This study aims to address this barrier by creating the first computational psychiatry data set that includes rich behavioral data, is designed to be widely shared across academia, industry, and government, and is maintained and shared using gold standard guidelines for privacy, confidentiality, and data integrity. 

Eligible participants will receive up to $165 for completing a series of online questionnaires and recording 7 days of audio during the daily lives. If you are interested in participating, please complete the following screening questionnaire.

For individuals diagnosed with with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), this study is using an innovative smart-ring device to detect behaviors that often occur in the context of OCD. Interested individuals can reach out to the TCT Lab at the University of Utah to set up a phone screening to determine eligibility empowerlabU@gmail.com

Learn more 

Often, mental health problems impact not only the individual, but those around them. Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a couple-based treatment developed to simultaneously improve PTSD and relationship satisfaction among both partners, and has been shown to be effective in doing so.

The BHIDC is recruiting several couples for a study testing this treatment among law enforcement couples. We are seeking interested couples who would complete up to 15 sessions of couple therapy (75-minute sessions) and three assessments. Treatment is provided at no cost and participants will be compensated for their assessment sessions. To be eligible for the study, couples must be married or cohabitating for at least a year, one partner in the couple must be a law enforcement officer, and the law enforcement officer must meet screening criteria for PTSD (they do not need to have a diagnosis from a mental health provider). All therapy and study procedures will be conducted online/via telehealth, so couples from across the state of Utah are eligible to participate.

If you're interested in participating, fill out the contact us form and indicate your interest in this study. 

Interpersonal factors are a frequent risk factor for people experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors. And, close others are often who people turn to when experiencing distress. To date, no interventions exist for couples to work together to improve their relationships and reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

TR&ST is a new couple-based intervention being tested to determine if it helps couples improve their relationships and reduce suicide. Couples will complete about 10 sessions of therapy lasting about 75 minutes each, as well as pre- and post-treatment assessments. The intervention is currently being tested at the San Diego VA Medical Center, with opportunities to participate in Salt Lake City, UT expected in 2021. If you're interested in being put on the waitlist for this treatment, please complete the contact us form and indicate your interest in this study.

 

Interpersonal factors are a frequent risk factor for people experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors. And, close others are often who people turn to when experiencing distress. To date, no interventions exist for couples to work together to improve their relationships and reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

TR&ST is a new couple-based intervention being tested to determine if it helps couples improve their relationships and reduce suicide. Couples will complete about 10 sessions of therapy lasting about 75 minutes each, as well as pre- and post-treatment assessments. The intervention is currently being tested at the San Diego VA Medical Center, with opportunities to participate in Salt Lake City, UT expected in 2021. If you're interested in being put on the waitlist for this treatment, please complete the contact us form and indicate your interest in this study.

ReStoreD is an 8-week, remotely delivered dyadic intervention to improve resilience and well-being in couples coping with stroke. Dyads learn and practice goal-setting, communication strategies, and positive psychology activities, including expressing gratitude, finding meaning, and fostering connections.

This clinical trial is being conducted at the University of Utah by Dr. Alexandra Terrill; please contact her for more information regarding enrollment.

This study is testing a new treatment to help couples where one partner has been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) become used to using CPAP and increase the quality of their sleep. The goal of this study is to understand whether the new behavioral treatment can help patients and their partners adjust to using CPAP and improve their sleep and health

This clinical trial is being conducted at the University of Utah by Dr. Kelly Baron. To see if you qualify for the We-Pap study, please call (385)313-0767 or e-mail Sleeplab@utah.edu. You may also inform your UHealth provider that you are willing to be contacted about the study.

Romantic partners are in an ideal position to facilitate suicide prevention. They can notice warning signs, encourage coping skills, and be a source of positive social support. In fact, from a previous RCT of individual crisis response planning, we know that the most common social support identified by suicidal individuals is their partner. The objectives of this project was to develop and test a couples specific suicide prevention intervention – the Couples Crisis Response Plan. This study is being conducted in conjunction with Salt Lake Behavioral Health among couples where one partner is a military veteran and is currently receiving inpatient services. The study is being conducted by Dr. Alexis May at Wesleyan University. You can contact Dr. May to learn more about the study.

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of two psychological treatments (brief cognitive behavioral therapy and present-centered therapy) for the reduction of suicide attempts among active duty U.S. Marines, and to identify the reasons why and how these treatments work. This clinical trial is being conducted by Dr. Craig Bryan at the Ohio State University or visit the OSU STRIVE website for more information. The study is currently enrolling Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune.

The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a peer-based program for reducing suicide risk and improving psychological health among U.S. Air Force personnel. This clinical trial is being conducted by Dr. Craig Bryan at the Ohio State University; please contact Dr. Justin Baker or visit the OSU STRIVE website for more information. Enrollment for this trial is currently closed.

Computational psychiatry refers to combining large scale clinical data sets with cutting-edge machine learning techniques to advance diagnosis, treatment development, treatment selection, and prediction of treatment outcomes in mental health care. This has the potential to revolutionize mental health care, however, one of the largest existing roadblocks to realizing this potential is the lack of high quality, clinically relevant data sets that can be used by computational researchers. This study aims to address this barrier by creating the first computational psychiatry data set that includes rich behavioral data, is designed to be widely shared across academia, industry, and government, and is maintained and shared using gold standard guidelines for privacy, confidentiality, and data integrity. 

Eligible participants will receive up to $165 for completing a series of online questionnaires and recording 7 days of audio during the daily lives. If you are interested in participating, please complete the following screening questionnaire.

This clinical trial is being conducted at Bar-Ilan University in Israel by Dr. Rachel Dekel; please contact her or visit her website, https://www.racheldekel.com/, for more information.

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Last Updated: 12/5/23