An evaluation of crisis hotline outcomes. Part 2: Suicidal callers

What this study supports

Supports the claims that seriously suicidal people contacted crisis lines and that suicidality decreased during calls, with further decreases in hopelessness and psychological pain afterwards. No comparison group and a 35% follow-up rate, so changes cannot be attributed to the calls alone.

Who was studied

1,085 suicidal callers to eight US crisis centres assessed during calls, 380 of whom completed follow-up within three weeks.

Design

Longitudinal study

Level of evidence

Longitudinal and repeated-measures studies without random assignment.