RAPID Introduction Video
The RAPID Trial is a randomised clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of remote psychosocial interventions for people who have a diagnosis of severe mental health, experience suicidal thoughts and are being seen by a Home-Based Treatment Team.
What is the RAPID Trial?
It’s a study that looks at the effectiveness of remote (online or phone) psychosocial treatments for people with severe mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, who are receiving or have recently received treatment from a Home-Based Treatment Team.
Who is the RAPID trial for? – Taken from Participant leaflet
We are looking for people who:
- Are over the age of 16
- Have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, or personality disorder.
- Are being seen by or recently discharged from a Home-Based Treatment Team
- Are experiencing suicidal thoughts.
- Are under the care of a secondary care community team such as a CMHT or early intervention team
Why is the RAPID Trial Important?
People with suicidal thoughts often need to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals, which can lead to loss of relationships, employment, and experiences of stigma and trauma. Hospital admissions also increase their risk of getting COVID-19. Remote treatments could be a better way to help these people while reducing the risks associated with hospitalization.
What is the RAPID Trial Trying to Find Out?
The goal is to reduce avoidable psychiatric hospital admissions and to better help people with suicidal thoughts. The study compares three brief remote treatments to the standard care people usually receive.
What is the RAPID Trial Doing?
The RAPID trial is funded by the National Institute for Health Research and has five sites across the UK. It will compare three remote treatments to the usual care, with participants randomly chosen to receive one of the treatments or their usual care only. The study has four “arms”.
The study has four groups, each with a different form of support:
- Group 1: In addition to your usual mental health care, you will be given a smartphone installed with an app named BrighterSide. BrighterSide is based on talking therapies that explore the way you think, feel, and behave and how these are linked. BrighterSide is intended to support awareness of suicidal thinking and strategies to manage these thoughts. BrighterSide also contains mindfulness activities, calming techniques and games.
- Group 2: In addition to your usual mental health care, you will be offered a one-to-one peer support called PREVAIL. Peer support means talking to a peer support worker – a person who has similar experiences of mental health difficulties. If you are asked to take part in PREVAIL, you will receive up to 12 sessions over 12 weeks via telephone or online.
- Group 3: In addition to your usual mental health care, you will be asked to take part in a safety planning approach called SAFETEL. This will be delivered one-to-one by an assistant psychologist. You will receive up to 12 sessions over 12 weeks via telephone or online.
- Group 4: You will continue receiving your usual mental health care without using a remote form of support.
All participants will be offered a mobile phone and data plan to ensure you can access the remote form of support and research assessments. You will keep the mobile phone after you complete the study.
This study does not involve medicine being prescribed. If you are currently receiving any medical treatments, the study will not require you to change or stop them.
What are the advantages and disadvantages to taking part?
Possible advantages
Although we cannot guarantee it, we hope that people receiving one form of support will find it helpful for coping with distressing thoughts and feelings. The information you share with us may also help us to support other people with similar problems in the future. This is because if any of the three forms of remote support are shown to work, then we will aim to make them more widely available within the NHS.
Possible disadvantages
It is possible that talking about some of your experiences either during the research assessment or as part of the support sessions may be upsetting. You can decide not to answer a question, stop the meeting or withdraw from the study whenever you wish. We will always support your choice.
Who is leading the RAPID Trial?
The RAPID trial is led by five site leads: Professor Tony Morrison in Manchester, Professor Andrew Gumley in Glasgow, Professor Daniel Freeman in Oxford, Professor Steve Gillard in East London, and Dr Lisa Wood in North East London.
Please use the dropdown menus bellow to find out more information…
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Background and study aims
People with serious mental health problems (SMHP) are more likely to be admitted to psychiatric hospital following contact with crisis services. Pressure on hospital beds is made worse by the extra impact on crisis care, and hospital admissions can be traumatic; because of COVID-19 admitting someone to hospital can be additionally problematic. People with SMHP are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to increased risk of underlying physical health problems, medication effects and engagement with services.
There is an urgent need for treatments to address suicidal thoughts/behaviours and reduce avoidable hospital admissions. We will conduct a multi-site trial to find out which brief and remotely delivered treatments are helpful for people with SMHP with recent suicidal thoughts/suicide attempt.
The main question is whether the treatments are more effective in reducing hospital admissions over a 6-month period compared to usual treatment (TAU), and if these treatments provide value for money.
We will assess the impact on suicidal thoughts and behaviour, hope, recovery, anxiety, and depression.
Who can participate?
People aged 16 years or older, with SMHP with recent suicidal thoughts/suicide attempt.
What does the study involve?
We will carry out a trial that has four treatment conditions. All treatments will be delivered remotely. We will compare the following treatment groups delivered for 3 months:
- Structured peer support
- A safety planning approach delivered by assistant psychologists
- A CBT-based suicide prevention app
- TAU.
Treatment allocation will be decided by chance. 200 people will participate in a smaller trial to see if there is interest for the study. 1035 people to take part in the main trial. To understand whether the treatments are working, we will look at the results when 559 people have been recruited.
If one or more of the treatments is not helpful, it will be removed from the trial.
We will complete questionnaires with people at baseline, 3-months and 6-months to see if the treatments have been helpful.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Possible benefits: although we cannot guarantee it, we hope that people receiving one form of support will find it helpful for coping with distressing thoughts and feelings.
The findings from the trial may also help advance and increase the support other people with similar problems in the future.
This is because if any of the three forms of remote support are shown to work, then we will aim to make them more widely available within the NHS.
Possible risks: It is possible that talking about some mental health experiences either during the research assessment or as part of the support sessions the content may be upsetting.
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