New research led by psychiatrists, psychologists, and obstetrician-gynecologists at the UNC School of Medicine points to a new kind of tool, a short-term outpatient therapy that requires patients to engage in positive and meaningful activities.

As published in JAMA Psychiatry, this low-cost, evidence-based, and adaptable intervention was found to drastically reduce suicidal thoughts by 80% after just six to eight sessions.

“Maternal suicide is devastating, not only for the life of the woman, but her entire family,” said Crystal Schiller, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine and director of the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders. “It’s critically important that we find treatments that work in this space, work quickly, and can be provided through a variety of means.”