What the trial was testing
The SUMMIT enrolled 1,230 patients with depression. The study was sponsored by Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
80% lower odds of suicidal thoughts at 3 months after brief behavioral therapy.
JAMA Psychiatry · 2025 · NCT04153864
These findings — that of endorsing suicide thoughts at 3 months after brief behavioral activation therapy — were published in the JAMA Psychiatry and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 1,230 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with depression, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Behavioral activation therapy is widely available through trained therapists and can often be delivered by non-specialist providers. Many insurance plans cover psychotherapy. Postpartum mental health is a medical emergency — call 988 if in crisis. Ask your obstetrician or primary care doctor for a referral.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open depression trials
Cannabidiol and Older Adult Cannabis Users
Cannabis use increased 10 fold among adults over the age of 65 between 2014 and 2016 but very little data exists on the extent of their harmful effects on health and behavior. The overarching goal of this project is to test a novel harm reduction strategy in which older individuals who seek to use cannabis for pain, anxiety or mood problems (depression/anxiety) will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions in an 8 week randomized controlled trial: hemp-derived CBD+THC, hemp-derived CBD-THC, or placebo. This work has the ability to directly inform individual choices regarding the use of cannabis products among older adults, and direct policy decisions regulating cannabis formulations on the legal market.
Collaborative Care for Anxiety and Depression in Epilepsy
This is a randomized effectiveness/implementation trial comparing a 24-week neurology-based collaborative care intervention to usual neurology care among 60 adults with epilepsy.