About

About the Recovery-Oriented Suicide Prevention (ROSP)
Research Lab

Directed by Samantha Chalker, Ph.D., the ROSP Lab focuses on developing and evaluating novel suicide prevention interventions for those experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors, particularly among Veterans and those with serious mental illness (SMI). SMI includes a wide range of experiences and often includes individuals with mental health experiences such as psychosis and mania, as well as severe levels of depression and treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. We are located at the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and the University of California, San Diego in San Diego, California.

Suicide is a major public health concern, particularly among the Veteran population and those living with SMI. People with SMI have 12 times the suicide rate compared to the general population and are also at high risk for suicidal ideation and behaviors. Yet, an SMI diagnosis is often an exclusion criterion for clinical trials focused on suicide. Further, those with SMI are frequently disengaged from care, have cognitive impairments, and have limited social supports that impact their recovery and the usefulness of current suicide prevention standards of care. Taking a recovery-oriented approach to research and practice, which is specifically designed to address barriers for those with SMI, can be integrated into suicide prevention care to better serve this population.

A salient component of the recovery model is the use of peers (i.e., those with lived mental health experience). The National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicides 2018-2028, the National Action Alliance on Suicide Prevention Objectives 3.1, 3.3, 8.3, 8.4, and 10.3 promote the use of peers’ ability to play an important role in suicide prevention. The ROSP Lab highly values the input of those with lived experience and aims to incorporate those voices in the research and practice explored within the lab. We work closely with peers at various levels, including Peer Specialists who are trained and certified to provide to support to others with shared experiences.

Our current primary research study focuses on curating and investigating the feasibility and acceptability of a Veteran-centric, peer-led suicide prevention program, SUicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics (SUPPORT). SUPPORT was developed by Veterans, Veteran Peer Specialists, and scientific advisors across the U.S. This program includes training in suicide prevention and an intervention delivered by VA Peer Specialists to Veterans with SMI. In the SUPPORT Intervention, Peer Specialists connect with Veterans at risk for suicide to support them through the recovery process and start to build a life that they believe is worth living. During the appointments, the Peer Specialist and Veteran co-create a personalized suicide-focused recovery plan (SUPPORT Plan) and identify and practice cognitive learning strategies to enhance salience and recall of intervention materials. We are looking forward to adapting this program to other settings (e.g., emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric units) and populations (e.g., civilians experiencing a first episode of psychosis).