By the Numbers - Feb. 9, 2015
24,000
The number of texts responded to by the Veterans Crisis Line (text 838255) since it was established in 2011, according to a new Congressional Research Service report -- Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention (PDF).
According to the report, which "focuses on suicide prevention activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)," the Veterans Crisis Line phone service (800-273-8255) has answered more than 1.25 million calls since its inception in 2007, and has engaged in more than 175,000 chats since it added chat service in 2009 (http://www.VeteransCrisisLine.net/chat).
The Crisis Line is a joint project of the VHA and SAMHSA, the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The CRS report notes:
The evidence base for suicide hotlines is not sufficient to determine their effectiveness in reducing suicide rates, due to the difficulties inherent in conducting such evaluations. The confidentiality of suicide hotlines renders follow-up with each individual caller impossible. Moreover, national hotlines, such as those operated by SAMHSA and the VHA, serve a large geographic area. A range of other interventions may be in place in localities within the hotline’s reach, such that any change in the suicide rate may not be attributable to the hotline.
See also: R U There? A new counselling service harnesses the power of the text message (The New Yorker)
24,000
The number of texts responded to by the Veterans Crisis Line (text 838255) since it was established in 2011, according to a new Congressional Research Service report -- Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention (PDF).
According to the report, which "focuses on suicide prevention activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)," the Veterans Crisis Line phone service (800-273-8255) has answered more than 1.25 million calls since its inception in 2007, and has engaged in more than 175,000 chats since it added chat service in 2009 (http://www.VeteransCrisisLine.net/chat).
The Crisis Line is a joint project of the VHA and SAMHSA, the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The CRS report notes:
The evidence base for suicide hotlines is not sufficient to determine their effectiveness in reducing suicide rates, due to the difficulties inherent in conducting such evaluations. The confidentiality of suicide hotlines renders follow-up with each individual caller impossible. Moreover, national hotlines, such as those operated by SAMHSA and the VHA, serve a large geographic area. A range of other interventions may be in place in localities within the hotline’s reach, such that any change in the suicide rate may not be attributable to the hotline.
See also: R U There? A new counselling service harnesses the power of the text message (The New Yorker)