Efficacy of CBT for Treatment Seeking (CBT-TS) in Untreated Veterans and Service Members at Risk for Suicidal Behavior

OBJECTIVE: Military members and Veterans at-risk for suicide are often unlikely to seek behavioral health treatment. The primary aim of this study was to test the efficacy of brief CBT for Treatment Seeking (CBT-TS) to improve behavioral health treatment utilization among U.S. military service members and Veterans at-risk for suicide.METHODS: A total of 841 participants who served in the U.S. military since 9/11 and who reported suicidal -it y but were not in behavioral health treatment were recruited to participate in this trial. Participants were randomly assigned to either brief CBT-TS delivered by phone or an assessment-only control condition. Follow-up assessments were conducted at baseline and months 1, 3, 6, and 12 to track treatment utilization and symptoms. RESULTS: CBT-TS resulted in significantly greater behavioral health treatment initiation within 1 month compared to the control condition (B = .93, p < .001); and the higher treatment initiation persisted for 12 months post intervention.CONCLUSIONS: This study employed a low-cost, easily implementable one-session intervention administered by phone. The study provides evidence that CBT-TS is efficacious in promoting behavioral health treatment ini- tiation in an adult population at risk for suicidal behavior and showed enduring benefits for 6-12 months. CBTTS provides a unique strategy for treatment engagement for at-risk adults unlikely to seek treatment.