Suzanne Decker, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Director of Fellowship, Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at MIRECC
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
The underlying goal of my research is to ensure that effective behavioral treatments are available to all individuals, and especially to those with high-risk problems like suicidal ideation or substance use. To this end, my research spans three areas: suicide and its correlates, emotion dysregulation as a potential mechanism for suicide and other high-risk behaviors such as substance use, and the development, adaptation, and implementation of skills-based behavioral treatments. Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States in 2019, and is particularly common among individuals who have served in the Armed Forces. Suicide is preventable and multifactorial, not linked to just one mental health concern. I have been studying a skills group adaptation of DBT, the most well supported treatment for high-risk suicidal individuals with borderline personality disorder. I developed this DBT-SG adaptation from a clinical project into a pilot (Decker et al., 2019) and am conducting a multi-site hybrid effectiveness- implementation trial with m-PI Steve Martino, PhD. This project will help answer longstanding questions about whether DBT Skills Groups can help Veterans reduce suicide attempt and will provide information about barriers and facilitators to this treatment in real-world care settings. The multi-site RCT is in parallel to an operations partnership I have built with VHA's Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention's Women's Mental Health group. In addition to my DBT-SG research, I am mentoring a junior faculty member, Frances Aunon, PhD, on her exciting line of research examining lethal means safety counseling in primary care settings.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Mental Disorders; Emotions; Psychotherapy; Suicide
Selected Publications
- Barriers and Facilitators to Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration.Decker S, Matthieu M, Smith B, Landes S. Barriers and Facilitators to Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration. Military Medicine 2023 PMID: 37104810, DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usad123.
- Military sexual trauma and suicidal ideation in VHA-care-seeking OEF/OIF/OND veterans without mental health diagnosis or treatmentDecker SE, Ramsey CM, Ronzitti S, Kerns RD, Driscoll MA, Dziura J, Skanderson M, Bathulapalli H, Brandt CA, Haskell SG, Goulet JL. Military sexual trauma and suicidal ideation in VHA-care-seeking OEF/OIF/OND veterans without mental health diagnosis or treatment. Psychiatry Research 2021, 303: 114089. PMID: 34247061, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114089.
- Correspondence Between Retrospective and Momentary Self‐Reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: Evidence for Peak and End Effects in VeteransDecker SE, Rosen MI, Cooney NL, Schnurr PP, Black AC. Correspondence Between Retrospective and Momentary Self‐Reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: Evidence for Peak and End Effects in Veterans. Journal Of Traumatic Stress 2021, 34: 889-894. PMID: 33743184, DOI: 10.1002/jts.22669.
- DSM‐5 eating disorder prevalence, gender differences, and mental health associations in United States military veteransMasheb RM, Ramsey CM, Marsh AG, Decker SE, Maguen S, Brandt CA, Haskell SG. DSM‐5 eating disorder prevalence, gender differences, and mental health associations in United States military veterans. International Journal Of Eating Disorders 2021, 54: 1171-1180. PMID: 33665848, DOI: 10.1002/eat.23501.
- Sex Differences in Military Sexual Trauma and Severe Self-Directed ViolenceGross GM, Ronzitti S, Combellick JL, Decker SE, Mattocks KM, Hoff RA, Haskell SG, Brandt CA, Goulet JL. Sex Differences in Military Sexual Trauma and Severe Self-Directed Violence. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine 2020, 58: 675-682. PMID: 32037020, DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.12.006.
- Chapter 12 Dialectical behavior therapy research and program evaluation in the Department of Veterans AffairsLandes S, Decker S, McBain S, Goodman M, Smith B, Sullivan S, Spears A, Meyers L. Chapter 12 Dialectical behavior therapy research and program evaluation in the Department of Veterans Affairs. 2020, 275-292. DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816384-9.00012-9.
- Is Emotion Dysregulation Associated With Suicidal Ideation in Post 9/11 Veterans?Decker SE, Hoff R, Martino S, Mazure CM, Park CL, Porter E, Kraus SW. Is Emotion Dysregulation Associated With Suicidal Ideation in Post 9/11 Veterans? Archives Of Suicide Research 2019, 25: 126-140. PMID: 31556798, DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2019.1661895.
- Gender Differences in Suicide and Self-Directed Violence Risk Among Veterans With Post-traumatic Stress and Substance Use DisordersRonzitti S, Loree AM, Potenza MN, Decker SE, Wilson SM, Abel EA, Haskell SG, Brandt CA, Goulet JL. Gender Differences in Suicide and Self-Directed Violence Risk Among Veterans With Post-traumatic Stress and Substance Use Disorders. Women's Health Issues 2019, 29: s94-s102. PMID: 31253249, DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2019.04.010.
- Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of dialectical behaviour therapy skills groups for Veterans with suicidal ideation: pilotDecker SE, Adams L, Watkins LE, Sippel LM, Presnall-Shvorin J, Sofuoglu M, Martino S. Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of dialectical behaviour therapy skills groups for Veterans with suicidal ideation: pilot. Behavioural And Cognitive Psychotherapy 2019, 47: 616-621. PMID: 30894240, PMCID: PMC6936751, DOI: 10.1017/s1352465819000122.
- Positive and negative affect in cocaine use disorder treatment: Change across time and relevance to treatment outcomeDecker SE, Morie KP, Malin‐Mayo B, Nich C, Carroll KM. Positive and negative affect in cocaine use disorder treatment: Change across time and relevance to treatment outcome. American Journal On Addictions 2018, 27: 375-382. PMID: 29923665, PMCID: PMC6309484, DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12716.
- Incidence of Mental Health Diagnoses in Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn, 2001-2014.Ramsey C, Dziura J, Justice AC, Altalib HH, Bathulapalli H, Burg M, Decker S, Driscoll M, Goulet J, Haskell S, Kulas J, Wang KH, Mattocks K, Brandt C. Incidence of Mental Health Diagnoses in Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn, 2001-2014. American Journal Of Public Health 2016, 107: 329-335. PMID: 27997229, PMCID: PMC5227942, DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2016.303574.
- Just Showing Up Is Not Enough: Homework Adherence and Outcome in Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Cocaine DependenceDecker SE, Kiluk BD, Frankforter T, Babuscio T, Nich C, Carroll KM. Just Showing Up Is Not Enough: Homework Adherence and Outcome in Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Cocaine Dependence. Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology 2016, 84: 907-912. PMID: 27454780, PMCID: PMC5341374, DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000126.
- Emotion regulation strategies in individuals with cocaine use disorder maintained on methadoneDecker SE, Morie K, Hunkele K, Babuscio T, Carroll KM. Emotion regulation strategies in individuals with cocaine use disorder maintained on methadone. American Journal On Addictions 2016, 25: 529-532. PMID: 27658192, PMCID: PMC5367621, DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12439.
- Patient pre-treatment expectations and substance use treatment outcomesSerafini K, Decker S, Kiluk B, Anez L, Paris M, Frankforter T, Carroll K. Patient pre-treatment expectations and substance use treatment outcomes. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2015, 156: e201. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.07.541.
- Assessment concordance and predictive validity of self‐report and biological assay of cocaine use in treatment trialsDecker SE, Frankforter T, Babuscio T, Nich C, Ball SA, Carroll KM. Assessment concordance and predictive validity of self‐report and biological assay of cocaine use in treatment trials. American Journal On Addictions 2014, 23: 466-474. PMID: 24628970, PMCID: PMC4139466, DOI: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2014.12132.x.
- Military Sexual Assault and Homeless Women Veterans: Clinical Correlates and Treatment PreferencesDecker SE, Rosenheck RA, Tsai J, Hoff R, Harpaz-Rotem I. Military Sexual Assault and Homeless Women Veterans: Clinical Correlates and Treatment Preferences. Women's Health Issues 2013, 23: e373-e380. PMID: 24183412, DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2013.09.002.
- Unintended effects of training on clinicians’ interest, confidence, and commitment in using motivational interviewingDecker SE, Martino S. Unintended effects of training on clinicians’ interest, confidence, and commitment in using motivational interviewing. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2013, 132: 681-687. PMID: 23684633, PMCID: PMC3752312, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.04.022.
- Correspondence of Motivational Interviewing Adherence and Competence Ratings in Real and Role-Played Client SessionsDecker SE, Carroll KM, Nich C, Canning-Ball M, Martino S. Correspondence of Motivational Interviewing Adherence and Competence Ratings in Real and Role-Played Client Sessions. Psychological Assessment 2013, 25: 306-312. PMID: 23205626, PMCID: PMC3644854, DOI: 10.1037/a0030815.
- Trauma Experience Among Homeless Female Veterans: Correlates and Impact on Housing, Clinical, and Psychosocial OutcomesTsai J, Rosenheck R, Decker S, Desai R, Harpaz‐Rotem I. Trauma Experience Among Homeless Female Veterans: Correlates and Impact on Housing, Clinical, and Psychosocial Outcomes. Journal Of Traumatic Stress 2012, n/a-n/a. DOI: 10.1002/j.1573-6598.2012.21750.x.
- Therapist Training in Empirically Supported Treatments: A Review of Evaluation Methods for Short- and Long-Term OutcomesDecker SE, Jameson MT, Naugle AE. Therapist Training in Empirically Supported Treatments: A Review of Evaluation Methods for Short- and Long-Term Outcomes. Administration And Policy In Mental Health And Mental Health Services Research 2011, 38: 254. PMID: 21656256, DOI: 10.1007/s10488-011-0360-1.
- Immediate Intervention for Sexual Assault: A Review with Recommendations and Implications for PractitionersDecker S, Naugle A. Immediate Intervention for Sexual Assault: A Review with Recommendations and Implications for Practitioners. Journal Of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma 2009, 18: 419-441. DOI: 10.1080/10926770902901485.
- DBT for Sexual Abuse Survivors: Current Status and Future DirectionsDecker S, Naugle A. DBT for Sexual Abuse Survivors: Current Status and Future Directions. The Journal Of Behavior Analysis Of Offender And Victim Treatment And Prevention 2008, 1: 52-68. DOI: 10.1037/h0100456.