# Patient perspectives on clinical approaches to prevent opioid related suicide attempts

> **NIH NIH U01** · HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM · 2020 · $507,082

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The opioid attributable death rate in the U.S. has more than quadrupled over the last 20 years. Simultaneously,
suicide has become the 10th leading cause of death and 8th leading cause of death for American Indians and
Alaskan Natives. More than 48,000 people die by suicide annually, and it is estimated that for every suicide
death there are 25 attempts; clearly indicating many opportunities for prevention. Experts estimate that up to
30% of opioid overdoses are suicides. Those using opioids to manage chronic pain may be at particular risk for
opioid-related mortality through intentional or accidental overdose. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center
was formed in response to multiple agency recommendations regarding suicide prevention which in turn
created the Zero Suicide framework to address suicide prevention in health care settings. The framework is a
set of evidence-based approaches for suicide prevention which can be tailored by health care settings. The
Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) received funding in 2017 for five years from the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH) to evaluate the implementation of the Zero Suicide framework across six health systems
serving over nine million people (Award # U01MH114087). This evaluation is not focused on understanding the
experience of patients who may be at high risk for suicide such as those with diagnosed Opioid Use Disorder
(OUD), those without this diagnosis who are using opioids for pain management, and native people. In
addition, although providers and health system leaders are involved in the parent NIMH-funded study, we have
little information from providers who are treating patients with OUD, using opioids for their patients’ pain
management, and/or practicing within native communities. We do not know to what extent they have been
involved in the Zero Suicide implementation nor their perceptions of its effectiveness. These providers could
give clinical and research teams valuable suggestions for tailoring the implementation for high-risk patients. To
address these gaps, we propose to incorporate the voice of the patient and provider stakeholders as part of the
implementation of the Zero Suicide framework in three health settings from the NIMH-funded parent award as
well as the Southcentral Foundation which is an Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit health care organization
serving nearly 65,000 American Indian/Alaskan Native people living in and around Anchorage, Alaska. We will
test the following aims as part of this proposal: AIM 1: Systematically engage patients, providers, national
consumer advocacy groups, and MHRN scientists in formulating research questions to address the prevention
of opioid-related overdoses in people with OUD or people without diagnosed OUD who are using opioids for
pain management; and AIM 2: Understand how people with OUD or people without diagnosed OUD who are
using opioids for pain management are experiencing the implementation of...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10139426
- **Project number:** 3U01MH114087-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian Kenneth Ahmedani
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $507,082
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-08-03 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10139426

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10139426, Patient perspectives on clinical approaches to prevent opioid related suicide attempts (3U01MH114087-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10139426. Licensed CC0.

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