Invited Talk: Lily Brown | Clinical

Title: Trauma-related distress and suicide risk: From the lab to the clinic
Abstract:
Trauma survivors who develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at significantly greater risk for suicide compared to the general population. However, the mechanisms underlying the association between PTSD and suicide risk remain unclear. By presenting analyses from large, randomized controlled trials, I will first provide evidence for bidirectional change in PTSD and depression in trauma-focused treatments, and discuss the importance of this bidirectionality as it relates to the resolution of suicide risk. Next, I will compare the relative contribution of PTSD, depression, and social disconnection to suicide risk throughout treatment. Then, I will present preliminary findings on digital phenotyping, wherein a patient’s digital fingerprint is modeled using smartphones and wearable devices. This data will demonstrate how worsened sleep on a given night predicts worsened next-day depression and social connection in patients with anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation. Collectively, these findings may optimize the detection of suicide risk while offering real-time intervention opportunities. I will conclude by discussing future research goals, which include the translation of these findings into suicide prevention methods for patients with PTSD.