Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsDavid Tolin, PhD, ABPP
Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Yale Department of PsychiatryAbout
Research
Publications
2026
Altered frontal and occipital cortical microstructure in obsessive-compulsive disorder - a multisite mega-analysis
Thorsen A, Brecke V, Alnæs D, Mataix-Cols D, Kwon J, Menchon J, Abe Y, Sakai Y, Phillips M, Hansen B, Hoexter M, Reddy J, Benedetti F, Brennan B, Cheng Y, Denys D, Hirano Y, Koch K, Nakao T, Nurmi E, Simpson H, Piras F, Tolin D, Stern E, Wang Z, Buitelaar J, Morgado P, Beucke J, Lochner C, Stein D, van den Heuvel O, Ousdal O. Altered frontal and occipital cortical microstructure in obsessive-compulsive disorder - a multisite mega-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry 2026, 1-9. PMID: 41833995, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-026-03500-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchObsessive-compulsive disorderRegional vulnerability indexOCD individualsIntracortical myelinMultivariate patternsCortical microstructureGray/white matter contrastGray matter morphologyHealthy controlsMagnetic resonance imagingMicrostructural alterationsT1-weighted magnetic resonance imagingClinical characteristics of participantsFrontal regionsIndividual similarityMega-AnalysisCortical microstructural alterationsSubjacent white matterCortical morphologyGray matterDisordersClinical characteristicsCortexCharacteristics of participantsWhite matterA Qualitative Study of Behavioural Health Experiences Reported by Transgender and Gender Diverse People During Inpatient Treatment
Black S, Stubbing J, Collett S, Saunders L, Tolin D, Diefenbach G. A Qualitative Study of Behavioural Health Experiences Reported by Transgender and Gender Diverse People During Inpatient Treatment. International Journal Of Mental Health Nursing 2026, 35: e70229. PMID: 41603386, DOI: 10.1111/inm.70229.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThis study investigates the behavioral health experiences of transgender and gender-diverse adults in psychiatric inpatient care, highlighting barriers, gender-affirming practices, and areas for improving care quality.Does Social Connection Mediate the Relationship Between Gender Minority Stress and Suicidal Ideation? An Investigation With Inpatient Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults
Diefenbach G, Lord K, Stubbing J, Black S, Saunders L, Tolin D. Does Social Connection Mediate the Relationship Between Gender Minority Stress and Suicidal Ideation? An Investigation With Inpatient Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults. Psychological Services 2026 PMID: 41556900, DOI: 10.1037/ser0001020.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGender minority stressPerceived BurdensomenessSuicidal ideationMinority stressCommunity connectednessAssociated with suicidal ideationProximal minority stressTGD adultsPotential treatment mechanismsGender diverse adultsNonclinical sampleLack of social connectionSocial connectionsStructural equation modelingResilience factorsDiverse adultsBelongingnessTGD individualsTreatment mechanismsIdeationEquation modelingAdultsNegative impactConnectednessTransgenderAcute effects of inpatient brief cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention on non-suicidal self-injury: Exploring the association with improved distress tolerance
Diefenbach G, Hord C, Rudd M, Tolin D. Acute effects of inpatient brief cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention on non-suicidal self-injury: Exploring the association with improved distress tolerance. Journal Of Affective Disorders 2026, 400: 121182. PMID: 41529735, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121182.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThis study investigates how adding brief cognitive-behavioral therapy to usual inpatient care reduces self-harm during hospitalization and improves patients' ability to tolerate distress.
2025
Clinical utility of the brief suicide cognitions scale with high-risk inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department clinical samples
Rudd M, Diefenbach G, Tolin D, Pérez-Muñoz A, Flowers T, Tuna B, Gleason V, Tempchin J, Bryan C. Clinical utility of the brief suicide cognitions scale with high-risk inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department clinical samples. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2025, 191: 155-161. PMID: 41016213, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.09.034.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSuicide Cognitions ScaleSuicide riskCognitive scalesB-SCSDegree of suicide riskSuicidal ideation scoresSuicidal ideation groupClinical samplesRandomized clinical trialsAcute episodeClinical utilityIdeation scoresIdeation groupNormative sampleSuicide attemptsCut scoresCutoff scoreED sampleSuicideStudy limitationsIntake scoresEmergency departmentScoresPost-discharge follow-upClinical contextA Proposed Definition of Psychological Treatment and Its Relation to Empirically Supported Treatments
Tolin D, Grasso D, Boness C, Beck J, Keane T, Leichsenring F, Olatunji B, Otto M, Weinand J. A Proposed Definition of Psychological Treatment and Its Relation to Empirically Supported Treatments. Clinical Psychology Science And Practice 2025, 32: 213-225. DOI: 10.1037/cps0000220.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSociety of Clinical PsychologyPsychological treatmentAmerican Psychological AssociationMental health professionalsMechanisms of changeClinical psychologyPsychological AssociationInterpersonal processesPsychological scienceCore assumptionsPersonsHealth professionalsTaskInterventionPsychologyFunctional outcomesTask ForcePractice guidelinesTreatmentProposed definitionsMisuseClinical practice guidelinesScientific understandingAmericanThinkingA Reply to Feinstein: Underscoring Foundational Psychological Principles
Tolin D, Otto M, Boness C, Grasso D, Leichsenring F, Keane T, Beck J, Olatunji B, Weinand J. A Reply to Feinstein: Underscoring Foundational Psychological Principles. Clinical Psychology Science And Practice 2025, 32: 237-240. DOI: 10.1037/cps0000286.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersGender Minority Stress Themes and Suicide Prevention for Adult Transgender Inpatients: A Content Analysis of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Stubbing J, Everhardt K, Rice T, Saunders L, Tolin D, Rudd M, Diefenbach G. Gender Minority Stress Themes and Suicide Prevention for Adult Transgender Inpatients: A Content Analysis of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Psychology Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Diversity 2025 DOI: 10.1037/sgd0000830.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSuicide prevention treatmentsMinority stressBrief cognitive-behavioral therapyCognitive-behavioral therapyElevated suicide riskGender minority stressTransgender participantsCase formulationSuicide riskNegative eventsTransgender clientsSources of resilienceSuicide preventionEvidence-based modelTrained cliniciansStress themesSuicideTreatment sessionsPreventive treatmentTransgender peopleTransgender individualsExternal eventsGender dysphoriaTransgenderContent analysisState of the Science: Hoarding Disorder and Its Treatment
Tolin D, Worden B, Levy H. State of the Science: Hoarding Disorder and Its Treatment. Behavior Therapy 2025, 56: 667-679. PMID: 40541370, DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2025.03.002.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsCognitive-behavioral therapyCognitive-behavioral modelHoarding DisorderReview current theoretical modelsAddiction modelEvidence of efficacyBiopsychosocial modelAttachment modelDisordersCultural modificationsAddictionState-of-the-scienceResearch directionsState-of-the-science reviewTreatmentInterventionPredictive Validity and Treatment Sensitivity of the Death-Implicit Association Test (D-IAT) During Inpatient Treatment and Across a 6-Month Follow-Up Period
Levy H, Lord K, Rice T, Sain K, Stubbing J, Diefenbach G, Tolin D. Predictive Validity and Treatment Sensitivity of the Death-Implicit Association Test (D-IAT) During Inpatient Treatment and Across a 6-Month Follow-Up Period. Cognitive Therapy And Research 2025, 49: 702-711. DOI: 10.1007/s10608-024-10564-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDeath Implicit Association TestSuicidal thoughtsInpatient treatmentFrequency of suicidal behaviorAssociation TestCognitive-behavioral therapyHigh risk of suicidePsychiatric inpatient unitTreatment sensitivitySample of inpatientsRisk of suicideImplicit cognitionSuicidal behaviorSuicide riskPredictive validitySuicide preventionDetect treatment effectsInpatient unitSuicideFollow-up periodPeriod post-dischargeInpatientsTreatment effectsThoughtsInpatient admissions