title: Mental health-related calls to the CDC National AIDS Hotline.
abstract: The CDC National AIDS Hotline provides confidential HIV-related information and referrals to anonymous callers, twenty-four hours a day. As part of a continuing quality improvement assessment of caller informational needs, 302 randomly selected anonymous overnight calls to the Hotline were evaluated for mental health-related content. Of 302 calls, 34 calls (11.3%) were mental health-related, in that callers spoke about specific mental health-related topics or requested mental health referrals, and 14 calls (4.6%) included signs or symptoms from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) potentially indicative of mental illness. The results suggest that training in recognizing and referring mental health calls might be useful for Hotline workers. The results also serve as a reminder for all health care professionals and organizations of the potential for overlap between patients' mental health-related needs and patients' HIV-related needs.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Safran
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Waller
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D003219:Confidentiality; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008603:Mental Health; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014481:United States