Citation

Codaire AM, Houle J, Poulin C. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 89.

Affiliation

Suicide Action Montreal, 2345 Belanger, H2G 1C9 Montreal, Quebec, Canada. amcodaire@suicideactionmontreal.qc.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964012

Abstract

Suicide prevention centres who receive calls from suicidal individuals send rescue to these persons, who are brought to an emergency department. In the days following discharge from hospital, a worker from the suicide prevention centre calls these individuals without notice to offer them a Telephone Support Programme. This programme aims to provide service continuity before the first follow-up appointment and improve treatment compliance. During a 15-month period, 49 suicide attempters participated in the Programme. They presented numerous suicide risk factors: male sex, history of suicidal attempts, living alone, substance abuse or dependence disorder, mood disorder, and difficult life events. Experienced psychosocial workers called them 2 to 10 times. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants to measure their appreciation of the programme and its perceived usefulness. Content analysis was performed on the qualitative material. Results show that the unexpected nature of the call was greatly appreciated because it gave participants a feeling of worth and that "someone cares". The Programme facilitated crisis resolution by giving participants an opening to discuss their suicidal ideation. Finally, the Telephone Support Programme improved treatment compliance and provided access to psychosocial follow-up for participants who did not receive referrals from the emergency department.

Language: en