Table: Suicide Intervention: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Suicide Intervention: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

People imminently planning suicide are in crisis. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) provides crisis intervention for such people throughout the United States. Suicide prevention centers are staffed by specially trained personnel and volunteers.

When potentially suicidal people call the hotline, a trained counselor may do any or all of the following:

Seek to establish a supportive rapport
Facilitate a conversation that allows the person to feel heard and to move from a highly charged emotional state to a calm state where flexible coping strategies can be resumed
Offer constructive help for the problem that brought on the crisis and encourage them to take positive action to resolve it
Provide mental health resources for follow-up
Facilitate emergency face-to-face professional help for them only if needed