A Paradigm for the Telephonic Assessment of Suicidal Ideation

A 3-stage paradigm for telephonically assessing suicidal risk & triaging suicidal callers as practiced in an Employee Assistance Program Call Center was investigated. The first hypothesis was that the use of the procedure would increase the probability that callers would accept the clinician’s recommendations, evidenced by fewer police interventions. The second hypothesis was that there would be an increase in confirmed appointments with providers. Samples involved 3 separate 6-month periods. Results indicate the effectiveness of the paradigm with both hypotheses supported. Follow-up data for the year after completion of this study yielded similar results. (15 refs.)