Barbara Stanley, Ph.D., was Professor of Medical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. She was also Director of the Suicide Prevention Training, Implementation and Evaluation for the Center for Practice Innovation and Research Scientist in Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Stanley was the Leader of the Conte Center for Suicide Prevention Project 5, “Stress, Inflammation, Aggression and Emotion Regulation in Suicidal Behavior”.

Research Focus

Dr. Stanley was the principal investigator on several NIMH and foundation grants investigating clinical and neurobiological factors and intervention strategies related to suicidal behavior, self-injury, borderline personality disorder, and depression.

Dr. Stanley was a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of individuals with borderline personality disorder, depression and self-harm. With her colleague, Dr. Gregory Brown, she developed the Safety Planning Intervention that is used in Emergency Departments, inpatient and outpatient facilities, throughout the VA and on crisis hotlines.

She has also mentored several young investigators on fMRI studies examining the interpersonal dysfunction dimension of borderline personality disorder, genetics studies of borderline personality disorder, and treatment engagement trials with suicidal individuals.

Dr. Stanley has received numerous awards including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Research Award and the Suicide Prevention Center of New York Research Award. Among her grant awards is an NIMH “Excellence in Curriculum” award (with Beth Brodsky) to develop a Dialectical Behavior Therapy curriculum for psychiatry residents.

She is the author of more than 200 articles and book chapters, author/editor of several volumes and served as editor-in-chief of the Archives of Suicide Research and on numerous editorial boards. She was a past chair and member of the American Psychological Association Committee on Human Research and served as a standing member of the Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging NIH CSR study section.

Select Publications

1. Mann JJ, Malone KM, Sweeney JA, Brown RP, Linnoila M, Stanley B, Stanley M. Attempted suicide characteristics and cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolities in depressed inpatients.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 1996;15(6):576-586. PMID:8946432

2. Stanley B, Molcho A, Stanley M, Winchel R, Gameroff M, Parsons B, Mann JJ. Association of aggressive behavior with altered serotonergic functions in patients who are not suicidal. Am J Psychiatry.2000;157(4): 609-614. PMID:10739421

3. Stanley B, Gameroff M, Michalsen V & Mann JJ. Are suicide attempters who self-mutilate a unique population? Am J Psychiatry. 2001;158(3):427-431. PMID:11229984

4. Brodsky B, Stanley B. Developmental effects on suicidal behavior: the role of abuse in childhood. Clinical Neuroscience Research. 2001;1:331-336. (not in pubmed)

5. Brent DA, Oquendo MA, Birmaher B, Greenhill L, Kolko D, Stanley B, Zelazny J, Brodsky B, Bridge J, Ellis SP, Salazar JO, Mann JJ. Familial Pathways to Early-Onset Suicide Attempt: A High-Risk Study. Arch Genl Psychiatry. 2002;59(9):801-807. PMID:12215079

6. Keilp JG, Gorlyn M, Oqendo MA, Brodsky B, Ellis SP, Stanley B, Mann JJ. Aggressiveness, not
impulsiveness or hostility, distinguishes suicide attempters with major depression. Psychol Med. 2006,36(12):1779-88. PMID:16959059

7. Wilson ST, Stanley B, Brent DA, Oquendo MA, Huang YY, Mann JJ. The tryptophan hydroxylase -1 A218C polymorphism is associated with diagnosis but not suicidal behavior, in borderline personality disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2009 Mar 5; 50B(2):202-208. PMID:18506706 PMC2674018

8. Lizardi D, Sher L, Sullivan GM, Stanley B, Burke A, Oquendo MA. Association between familial suicidal behavior and frequency of attempts among depressed suicide attempters. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2009 May; 119(5):406-10 PMID:19367777

9. Mann JJ, Arango VA, Avenevoli, Brent DA, Champagne FA, Clayton P, Currier D, Dougherty DM, Haghighi F, Hodge SE, Kleinman J, Lehner T, McMahon F, Moscicki EK, Oqendo MA, Pandey GN, Pearson J, Stanley B, Terwilliger J, Wenzel A. Candidate endophenotypes for genetic studies of suicidal behavior. Biol Psychiatry. 2009 Apr; 1 65(7): 556-63. PMID:19201395 PMC3271953

10. Stanley B, Siever L. The Interpersonal Dimension of Borderline Personality Disorder: Towards A Neuropeptide Model. Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Jan; 167(1):24-39. PMID:19952075

11. Stanley B, Sher L, Wilson S, Ekman R, Huang YY, Mann JJ. Non-suicidal self-injurious behavior,endogenous opioids and monoamine neurotransmitters. J Affect Disord. 2010 Jul; 124(1-2): 134-40. PMID:19942295 PMC2875354

12. Keilp JG, Oquendo MA, Stanley BH, Burke AK, Cooper TB, Malone KM, Mann JJ. Future Suicide Attempt and Responses to Serotonergic Challenge. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 Apr;35(5):1063-1072. PMID:18354392 PMC3055397

13. New As, Stanley B. An opioid deficit in borderline personality disorder: self-cutting, substance abuse, and social dysfunction. Am J Psychiarty. 2010 Aug; 167(8):882-5. PMID:20693463

14. Chesin MS, Jeglic El, Stanley B. Pathways to high-lethality suicide attempts in individuals with borderline personality disorder. Arch Suicide Res. 2010 Oct; 14(3): 342-62. PMID:21082450

15. Wilson ST, Stanley B, Brent DA, Oquendo MA, Haung YY, Haghighi F, Hodgkinson CA, Mann JJ. Interaction between tryptophan hydroxylase I polymorphisms and childhood abuse is associated with increased risk for borderline personality disorders in adulthood. Psychiatr Genet. 2012 Feb; 22(1): 15-24. PMID:21989108 PMC3241896