JAMA Psychiatry

Brief CBT cuts suicide risk by 75% in military personnel and veterans

October 16, 2025

Study details: This 2-arm, parallel randomized MSPIRE trial (NCT03769259) enrolled 108 U.S. military personnel and veterans (mean age, 32.8 years; 73% male) with recent suicidal ideation or behavior, recruited from 3 outpatient psychiatric clinics. Participants were randomized to receive either brief cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT), focused on emotion regulation skills, or present-centered therapy (PCT), a problem-solving psychotherapy. Primary outcome was suicide attempt, assessed via the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview-Revised.

Results: BCBT significantly reduced suicide attempts: 5.6% of BCBT recipients attempted suicide during follow-up vs. 27.9% in the PCT group. Time to first attempt was longer in BCBT (mean, 756 days) than PCT (mean, 639 days; log-rank p = 0.03). Hazard ratio for any attempt was 0.25 (90% confidence interval, 0.07-0.90; p = 0.04), and the rate of attempts per participant-year was lower in BCBT (0.06 vs. 0.18; risk ratio 0.24; p = 0.02). Suicidal ideation decreased in both groups, with no significant between-group difference.

Clinical impact: BCBT is a robust, evidence-based intervention for reducing suicide attempts in high-risk military and veteran populations, replicating prior findings and supporting its integration into clinical practice for suicide prevention.

Source:

Bryan CJ, et al. (2025, October 8). JAMA Psychiatry. Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Military Personnel and Veterans: The Military Suicide Prevention Intervention Research (MSPIRE) Randomized Clinical Trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41060644/