Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Reduces Suicide Attempts by Veterans

Significant reduction seen in risk for any suicide attempt, rate of follow-up suicide attempts

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Among U.S. military personnel and veterans reporting recent suicidal ideation and/or suicidal behaviors, brief cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT) reduces suicide attempts, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Craig J. Bryan, Psy.D., from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues examined the efficacy of BCBT for reducing suicide attempts and suicidal ideation among high-risk military personnel and veterans in a two-arm parallel randomized clinical trial. Participants were randomly assigned to BCBT, a psychotherapy that teaches emotional regulation skills or present-centered therapy (PCT), a problem-solving psychotherapy. A total of 108 individuals were enrolled.

The researchers found that fewer patients receiving BCBT than PCT attempted suicide during follow-up (estimated proportion, 5.6 versus 27.9 percent). The mean time to first suicide attempt was 638.6 versus 755.9 days in the PCT versus BCBT groups. There was a significant reduction in the risk for any suicide attempt (hazard ratio, 0.25) and in the rate of follow-up suicide attempts (0.06 versus 0.18 attempts per participant-year; risk ratio, 0.24) with BCBT. In both groups, suicidal ideation decreased significantly, with no between-group differences noted.

“BCBT should be a recommended treatment for preventing suicide attempts and disseminated throughout the military health system,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and publishing industries.