title: Helping Callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Who Are at Imminent Risk of Suicide: Evaluation of Caller Risk Profiles and Interventions Implemented.
abstract: Crisis lines are settings where identifying individuals at imminent risk of suicidal behavior and intervening to keep them safe are critical activities. We examined clinical characteristics of crisis callers assessed by telephone crisis helpers as being at imminent risk of suicide, and the interventions implemented with these callers. Data were derived from 491 call reports completed by 132 helpers at eight crisis centers in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. Helpers actively engaged the callers in collaborating to keep themselves safe on 76.4% of calls and sent emergency services without the callers' collaboration on 24.6% of calls. Four different profiles of imminent risk calls emerged. Caller profiles and some helper characteristics were associated with intervention type. Our findings provide a first step toward an empirical formulation of imminent risk warning signs and recommended interventions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.|New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Madelyn S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lake
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jimmie Lou
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Munfakh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Hanga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Galfalvy
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.affiliation: Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress, and Special Programs, Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McKeon
mesh_terms: D003419:Crisis Intervention; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000092864:Suicide Prevention