About
This study describes a randomized controlled trial which compared the use of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) to enhanced care as usual (E-CAU). We hypothesized that CAMS would be more effective than E-CAU for reducing suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA), along with secondary behavioral health and healthcare utilization markers for U.S. Army Soldier outpatients with significant SI (i.e., > 13 on Beck’s Scale for Suicide Ideation).
Outcomes
- Study participants were 148 Soldiers who presented to a military outpatient behavioral health clinic. 73 Soldiers in the experimental arm of the trial received adherent CAMS; 75 Soldiers received E-CAU.
- By the 3 month follow-up point, Soldiers were less likely to have any suicidal thoughts in if they received CAMS than if they received enhanced care as usual.
- CAMS showed a greater effect among lower complexity soldier patients, particularly those with lower initial distress and fewer deployments and those who were married or older generally responded better to CAMS.
- CAMS was been found to be no more costly than treatment alternatives, but produced significantly greater benefit in the form of decreased healthcare expenditures at 6-month follow-up as well as significantly greater cost-benefit ratios (i.e., benefit per dollar spent on treatment) and net-benefit (i.e., total benefit less the cost of treatment) at 12-month follow-up.
Citations
- Jobes, D. A., Comtois, K. A., Gutierrez, P. M., Brenner, L. A., Huh, D., Chalker, S. A., Ruhe, G., Kerbrat, A. H., Atkins, D. C., Jennings, K., Crumlish, J., Corona, C. D., Connor, S. O., Hendricks, K. E., Schembari, B., Singer, B., & Crow, B. (2017). A randomized controlled trial of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality versus enhanced care as usual with suicidal Soldiers. Psychiatry, 80(4), 339–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.2017.1354607
- Huh, D., Jobes, D. A., Comtois, K. A., Kerbrat, A. H., Chalker, S. A., Gutierrez, P. M., & Jennings, K. W. (2018). The collaborative assessment and management of suicidality (CAMS) versus enhanced care as usual (E-CAU) with suicidal soldiers: Moderator analyses from a randomized controlled trial. Military Psychology, 30(6), 495–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2018.1503001
- McCutchan, P. K., Yates, B. T., Jobes, D. A., Kerbrat, A. H., & Comtois, K. A. (2022). Costs, benefits, and cost-benefit of Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality versus enhanced treatment as usual. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0262592. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262592