[Suicidal calls to a telephone emergency service]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Crisis Intervention

Background:

• Suicidal threats and ideation are significant public health concerns.
• Hotlines provide crucial support for individuals in crisis.
• Understanding caller characteristics and intervention strategies is vital for effective suicide prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate suicidal threats and ideation among callers to the Israeli hotline (ERAN).
• To differentiate caller characteristics based on psychiatric history and age.
• To identify effective intervention strategies for suicide prevention in a hotline setting.

Main Methods:

• Epidemiological survey of 8,272 calls to 8 ERAN posts over 2 years.
• Content analysis of 42 detailed reports of interactions with suicidal callers.
• Comparison of suicidal ideation and threat rates between callers with and without psychiatric history.

Main Results:

• Callers with a psychiatric history showed higher rates of suicidal ideation but not suicidal threats.
• Adolescent suicidal threats were linked to identity issues, while adult threats stemmed from mental disorders.
• Two intervention strategies were identified: environmental support linkage and tension reduction.

Conclusions:

• Hotlines play a unique role in managing acute suicide threats.
• Intervention strategies should be tailored to caller profiles (psychiatric vs. non-psychiatric).
• Further research into crisis intervention effectiveness is warranted.