Safety planning app reduces self-injury measures in adolescents with depressive episodes

A randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry evaluated LIFES, a smartphone-based safety planning application, in Chinese adolescents with depressive episodes. Of 189 adolescents screened, 122 were randomized equally to LIFES plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual alone. Assessments at 1, 3, and 6 months measured self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality.

Adjusted generalized linear mixed models found significant time-by-group interactions for non-suicidal self-injury frequency (p=.018), suicide planning seriousness (p=.034), confidence in suicide completion during preparation (p=.027), suicide threat/gesture frequency (p=.013), and total suicidal behavior frequency (p=.020). The intervention group had greater reductions in these measures. Models adjusted for depression and anxiety severity, sleep quality, and years of education. User surveys indicated good satisfaction with the app.

The findings support further evaluation of digital safety planning as an adjunct to usual treatment in this population. However, the available abstract provides no absolute changes or effect sizes, limiting assessment of clinical benefit. It also does not report attrition or adverse events. These results do not establish a reduction in suicide deaths, and applicability to broader populations remains uncertain.