Although several randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that digital mental health (DMH) tools are highly effective, most consumers do not sustain their use of these tools. The field currently lacks an understanding of DMH tool engagement, how engagement is associated with well-being, and what practices are effective at sustaining engagement. In this partnership between Mental Health America, Talkspace, and the University of Washington (UW), we propose a naturalistic and experimental, theory driven program of research, with the aim of understanding 1) how consumer engagement in self-help and clinician assisted DMH varies and what engagement patterns exist, 2) the association between patterns of engagement and important consumer outcomes, and 3) the effectiveness of personalized strategies for optimal engagement with DMH treatment.
Funding Type: Federal
NORTH: Developing a mobile health intervention to support treatment seeking in early psychosis
The proposed research project proposes to develop and test a mobile intervention, Normalizing Orientation to Treatment and Help-Seeking (NORTH) designed to impact knowledge and attitudes to encourage help-seeking among young adults at risk for psychosis. This project involves (1) a needs assessment to understand barriers, interests and preferences related to mHealth and in-person treatment, (2) development, refinement and usability testing of NORTH, and (3) a pilot randomized controlled trial assessing feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy compared to an active control mHealth intervention providing only stress management.
The PREDICT study: a personalized medicine approach to prazosin for PTSD
Prazosin, like many of our most effective treatments for PTSD, seems to be significantly more effective for some individuals than others. We have hypothesized that this is because prazosin works to compensate for increased noradrenergic signaling, which is a primary driver of symptoms in some, but not all, individuals with PTSD. If we could identify individuals where increased or inappropriate noradrenergic signaling is driving PTSD symptoms, it would not only help us match individuals with treatments that will work well for them, but would also help us identify new treatment options.
The PREDICT study is a 5-year clinical trial designed to (1) test whether clinically-relevant biomarkers can predict in advance who is most likely to benefit from prazosin for PTSD; and (2) test a working model of how pre-synaptic and post-synaptic changes in the regulation of noradrenaline may combine together to produce the symptoms of PTSD.
The ATTEND study for Healthcare Workers and First Responders
Healthcare workers and first responders working during the COVID-19 pandemic have experienced increased exposure to suffering and loss; prolonged work hours; and increased personal risk. Although associated increases in psychiatric symptoms and occupational burnout are well documented, what aspects of the experiences are most strongly associated with negative outcomes over time – and what interventions are most likely to protect healthcare workers and first responders – are poorly understood.
The ATTEND study is designed to address the impact of occupational stress related to working during the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers and first responders (police, fire, EMTs) through a national longitudinal survey paired with a local interventional clinical trial. The interventional clinical trial is designed to test the impact of treating sleep disruption with prazosin during or shortly after the period of exposure.
Implementing Contingency Management in Opioid Treatment Centers Across New England: A Hybrid Type 3 Trial
This research is testing the utility of external facilitation and pay-for-performance incentives as implementation strategies to facilitate adoption and implementation of contingency management in a cluster-randomized trial of 30 opioid treatment programs in New England.
Model State Supported Area Health Education Center Program
This project developed and delivered training and technical assistance concerning medications for opioid use disorder to preservice workforce populations enrolled in health service programs at UW and WA state community colleges.
Opioid State Targeted Response – Technical Assistance for HHS Region 10
This project contributed to the initial offering of the Opioid Response Network (ORN), a national partnership of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) network, to provide on-demand technical assistance in areas of prevention, treatment, and recovery for care related to opioid use disorders.
HHS Region 10 Addiction Technology Transfer Center
This center grant supports diverse workforce development efforts for those who provide behavioral health and addiction care services to persons with substance use disorders in HHS Region 10 states of AK, ID, OR, and WA.
Beliefs and Attitudes for Successful Implementation in Schools
This research developed and tested a pre-implementation intervention, based on Motivational Interviewing, as means of facilitating greater adoption of useful school-based practices among preventionists working in high schools.
A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of a School-based Teen Marijuana Check-Up
This research supports the conduct of a Type II hybrid trial, which compares via two-arm RCT features: 1) gold-standard vs. as-needed clinician coaching for school-based interventions over a two-year period, and 2) the clinical effectiveness of TMCU vs. services-as-usual among marijuana-using students.
