Chronically and acutely suicidal persons one month after contact with a crisis intervention centre

This paper describes a follow-up study of 31 suicidal people who contacted Klinic (a crisis intervention centre in Winnipeg) during a 28-day period, and who gave their names and addresses. The suicidal persons were classified as either 'chronically suicidal' (those having a history of psychological instability and/or suicide attempts) or 'acutely' suicidal (those having fairly stable lives with no previous psychological instability or suicide attempts). The majority were classified as chronically suicidal, and they reported that they were still experiencing suicidal feelings with little improvement in their life situations. In contrast, none of the acutely suicidal persons were still experiencing suicidal feelings and all felt that their life situation had improved considerably. The majority of suicidal contacts was made by chronically suicidal persons and crisis intervention had a negligible impact on their suicidal feelings and psychological problems. Alternative treatment approaches for this group are recommended.