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September 15, 2008
Government suicide-prevention hotline fields increasing numbers of calls, director says
The AP (9/11) reports that "the number of Americans calling the government's suicide-prevention hotline has increased every year since its launch, say the program's staff, who attribute that to efforts to promote the number, rather than a rise in people considering suicide."
In August, "Americans called the" the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) "hotline more than 47,000 times," compared to Jan. 2005, when the hotline "received just 1,500 calls, according to director" John Draper, Ph.D., of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which sponsors the hotline. Draper explained, "The increase in calls does not correlate to an increasing number of people who are in psychological distress." Instead, "more people consistently call the hotline after every televised promotion," he said.
Draper "also credits word of mouth, media reports, and online sources." Recently, the hotline "has begun networking with social Internet sites," such as "MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube," to increase its outreach "to young people through its online promotions."
Related Links:
- "More people calling suicide prevention hot line," USA Today,September 10, 2008.
Posted by admin at September 15, 2008 11:47 AM