By Tina L. Chaffin

Presenters: Rex Carney and Micki Carney

This session focused on the proper handling of calls from suicidal persons. The telecommunicator may be the little bit of light that helps the caller see suicide is not the answer. “Dealing with someone who is suicidal is not your typical call. If given the opportunity, you must give these callers your heart.”

The session identified four types of suicidal calls: third-party calls, ambivalent callers, regretful callers and decided callers. Third-party suicide calls occur when someone other than the person contemplating suicide calls for help. This may be a friend, family member or even a social media friend with little personal information. Ambivalent callers are not sure they want to die, and they want help. These callers are reaching out for a lifeline, and telecommunicators are that lifeline. Regretful callers have acted on their plan and regret it. This may be a teenager who took a bottle of pills and is now realizing she doesn’t truly want to die. Decided callers have already made up their mind, and their plan is immediate. These callers may follow through regardless of the telecommunicator’s attempt to stop them.

Regardless of the type of caller, telecommunicators should always use empathy, not sympathy, with a suicidal caller. These are the types of calls where the telecommunicator’s work can truly mean life or death.