We’re re-releasing a special two-part episode about innovations in suicide prevention in recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In this second episode, Dr. Seth Feuerstein, the CEO of Oui Therapeutics, talks about his company’s digital therapeutics aimed at reducing suicide – which he calls “the only leading cause of death without any prescription products.” He speaks with our host, Dr. Daniel Kraft, about using software as a medical device and explains the road to FDA approval for his company’s products. Dr. Feuerstein describes their digital therapeutic as “a multidimensional interactive experience” that typically lasts 10 to 12 weeks under the direction of a clinician. “You might work with a chatbot function, you might interact with other patients, you might work on practicing exercises to refine the way you brain might react to certain situations,” he says. Studies about its effectiveness have been promising.

Cara McNulty, President of Behavioral Health and Mental Well-being at CVS Health®, introduces this episode by looking at the many tools and programs available to help reduce suicide, including those listed below.

Suicide prevention resources

• CVS Health mental health resources
• Oui Therapeutics
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Mental Health First Aid
• The Trevor Project
• The Jed Foundation

In recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, today we’re re-releasing a special two-part episode with Dr. Seth Feuerstein, a psychiatrist and researcher who’s made the study and treatment of suicide his life’s work. Dr. Feuerstein is the CEO of Oui Therapeutics, which is building life-saving digital therapeutics to help in preventing suicide. He and our host, Dr. Daniel Kraft, have a wide-ranging discussion about misconceptions, data and innovations in suicide prevention. Dr. Feuerstein also challenges the way health care professionals think about suicide. “The suicidal state of the brain is a lot like the arrhythmia state of the heart,” he says. “It’s a relatively spontaneous period where there’s an elevated risk of sudden death.” Reframing our thinking about suicide in this way, Dr. Feuerstein explains, will make it easier for clinicians to talk about it.

Cara McNulty, President of Behavioral Health and Mental Well-being at CVS Health®, introduces this episode by looking at the latest reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says suicide rates in the U.S. are again on the rise. She discusses how CVS Health is using a systematic approach to reduce suicide attempts and raise awareness of suicide prevention.

Suicide prevention resources

• CVS Health mental health resources
• Oui Therapeutics
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Mental Health First Aid
• The Trevor Project
• The Jed Foundation

If you look around, you’ll probably notice that the U.S. population is getting older. In fact, one in five people will be retirement age by 2030. And the latest Health Trends Report, The Future of Healthy Aging, quotes the U.S. Census Bureau that three out of five people over the age of 65 manage two or more chronic conditions. “If we go back maybe 60 years or so, 40% of health care in America was delivered at home. Today it's only about 1% of care that is delivered at home,” Sree Chaguturu, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health, notes. “But when you ask people, especially seniors, ‘Where would you like to get care?’ Four out of five individuals say, ‘I would like to get care at home.’” The good thing is that while health care needs are growing for older adults, the options for value-based accessible local and at-home care services are expanding, as well.

In this Healthy Conversations episode, Dr. Chaguturu details different ways CVS Health is bringing care services directly into the neighborhoods of older adults. For instance, CVS’ acquisition of Signify Health is helping understand patients’ health risks with 2.5 million in-home evaluations, which it then shares with providers, primary care teams, and health plans. He concludes, “It's incredibly simple but fundamental. By just spending time in a patient's home, it really allows us to make sure that that patient is getting what they need, and it's customized for their particular health situation.”

Learn more

• Health Trends Report
• MinuteClinic Age-Friendly Health Systems Commitment
• Embracing Healthy Aging