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Novel strategies for reducing suicidality are clearly desirable. Assessing the potential therapeutic value of a game-like mobile “app,” investigators conducted three randomized, controlled, 4-week studies that recruited individuals with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) from salient websites.
The 1- to 2-minute game was intended for repeated plays, awarded progressively more points for increasingly accurate performances, and targeted two SITB risk factors using classical conditioning; the authors, who had financial interests in the app, called it “therapeutic evaluative condition” (TEC). Using paired word and pictorial associations, the game attempted to increase aversion to SITB-related stimuli (e.g., blood, wounds, and knives) …