Effects of Different Telephone Intervention Styles With Suicidal Callers at two Suicide Prevention Centers: an Empirical Investigation

To determine the relative effectiveness of telephone intervention styles with suicidal callers, researchers listened to 617 calls by suicidal persons at two suicide prevention centers & categorized responses by the 110 volunteer helpers according to a 20-category checklist. Outcome measures showed decreased depressive mood in 14% of calls, decreased suicidal urgency ratings in 27% of calls, and reaching a contract in 68% of calls, of which over 54% were upheld according to follow-up data. Implications are discussed. (64 refs)