Psychology and social work

Caring texts help at-risk adolescents more than calls at 12 months; online program cuts functional seizures; mindfulness trial in opioid use disorder

• Research Oct 28, 2026
  Caring texts beat support calls for at-risk adolescents at 12 months, a secondary outcome; adults did better early with calls
  In the pragmatic SPARC trial, published Oct. 28 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, 723 adolescents and 797 adults who screened at risk for suicide in nine emergency departments and 36 primary care clinics were randomized to added instrumental support calls or two-way Caring Contacts texts. At six months, the primary outcome, adults receiving texts had higher suicidal ideation and behavior scores (adjusted difference in means 0.50, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.88), while adolescents did not differ. At 12 months, a secondary outcome, adolescents receiving texts had lower scores (adjusted difference in means -0.64, 95% CI -1.11 to -0.18).
  Source: American Journal of Psychiatry
• Research Oct 26, 2026
  Self-guided internet program drawing on CBT, ACT and DBT cut functional seizure frequency versus standard care in trial
  In a three-arm randomized trial published Oct. 26 in JAMA Neurology, 107 adults in Melbourne, Australia, with functional seizures confirmed by video electroencephalogram were assigned to a self-guided internet intervention, a therapist-guided version or standard care alone. The five-session Re-PROGRAM intervention integrates elements of cognitive behavioral, acceptance and commitment, and dialectical behavior therapy. The self-guided arm reduced monthly seizure frequency versus standard care (rate ratio 0.35, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.69); the therapist-guided arm's reduction did not reach statistical significance, and the two active arms did not differ significantly.
  Source: JAMA Neurology
• Research Oct 28, 2026
  Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement shifted prefrontal responses and extended abstinence in opioid use disorder trial
  In a randomized trial of people with opioid use disorder recruited from an inpatient rehabilitation facility in New York, published Oct. 28 in JAMA Psychiatry, eight weekly group sessions of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) reduced drug-biased brain activity on functional MRI, the primary outcome, compared with psychoeducational supportive therapy among 59 participants analyzed. In a follow-up subset, MORE also extended abstinence about four months after treatment (P = .04), a secondary outcome. The authors described MORE as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder.
  Source: JAMA Psychiatry
• Research Oct 29, 2026
  Meeting VA's 30-day follow-up standard after behavioral health discharge tied to lower one-year mortality among veterans
  A retrospective study of 115,723 discharges from Veterans Affairs (VA) inpatient or residential behavioral health treatment, published Oct. 29 in Psychiatric Services, found that discharges meeting the VA's postdischarge follow-up and engagement measure, two to four or more outpatient visits within 30 days, had significantly better longer-term outcomes than those with one or fewer visits. They were associated with a higher likelihood of primary care contact (odds ratio 2.12) and greater reductions in one-year all-cause mortality (odds ratio 0.71). The authors said the findings support resources for postdischarge care coordination.
  Source: Psychiatric Services