Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, Lourah Kelly, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, discusses her research on a digital health intervention using an avatar to help young adults with alcohol use problems and suicidal thoughts.
Adults ages 18 to 25 consistently report the highest rates of co-occurring alcohol use disorder and suicidal thoughts, Dr. Kelly said. Young adults are not often accessing professional behavioral health treatments for these issues. Emergency departments, where they often end up, are an access point for offering interventions such as the avatar guided intervention.
Kelly is leading the second phase of a usability trial in the emergency department for individuals ages 18 to 28 with indicators of suicide risk. Developed during her postdoctoral fellowship at UConn School of Medicine, the intervention, features a customizable avatar and digital cognitive therapy designed to reduce drinking and suicidal thoughts. Participants engage with the mobile health intervention and provide feedback through surveys. This was made possible by a Pathway to Independence Award funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The overall goal is to reduce drinking and suicidal thoughts while also addressing barriers to traditional mental health care.
“It’s essentially a digitized version of cognitive behavioral therapy that’s designed to help young adults manage their suicidal thoughts and their drinking behaviors, “she said.
Listen to the full Voices of UMass Chan podcast here: umassmed.edu/voices or wherever you listen to podcasts.
