Systematic review of research into frequent callers to crisis helplines

Abstract

SummaryWe conducted a systematic review of research into callers making multiple calls to crisis helplines. Two databases were searched, identifying 561 articles from 1960 until 2012, of which 63 were relevant. Twenty-one articles from 19 separate studies presented empirical data about callers making multiple calls to crisis helplines. Of the 19 studies, three were intervention studies, five were surveys of callers and 11 were call record audits. Most studies were conducted in the USA and defined frequent callers as people making two or more calls. Frequent callers were more likely to be male and unmarried compared to other callers. There were no reported differences between frequent callers and other callers with regard to age, mental health conditions or suicidality. Three studies tested interventions designed to better manage frequent callers. These studies, even though small, reported reductions in the number of calls made by frequent callers. Suggested techniques for responding to frequent callers included: limiting the number and duration of calls allowed, assigning a specific counsellor, implementing face to face contact, the service initiating contact with the caller instead of waiting for callers to contact the service, providing short term anxiety and depression treatment programmes by telephone, and creating a specific management plan for each frequent caller. Future work requires robust study design methods using larger sample sizes and validated measurements.

A survey of telephone nurses’ experiences in their encounters with frequent callers

“…The challenge the TNs experienced with FCs in the present study is congruent with the study by Holmström et al (), where FCs constituted a challenge for TNs and often comprised the caller's worries and anxieties. Furthermore, in the background it is described that in several studies the FCs were more likely to have psychiatric comorbidity (Corral et al, ; Edwards et al, ; Fisher et al, ; Liu et al, ; Middleton et al, ; Pirkis et al, ; Ramors‐Rivers et al, ; Spittal et al, ), which also seems to be the case in the present study according to these TNs. It has previously been shown that there is a positive relationship between expressions of concern by the caller and disapproval by the nurse (Ernesäter, Engström, Winblad, Rahmqvist, & Holmström, ).…”

“…A study performed in Sweden with TNs in primary healthcare settings indicated that frequent callers (FCs’) calls constitute a challenge for TNs and are often comprised of the caller's worries and anxieties along with their physical symptoms (Holmström, Krantz, Karacagil, & Sundler, ). The phenomenon of callers making multiple calls has been described in the literature in different terms, such as frequent, chronic, or repeat callers (Middleton, Gunn, Bassilos, & Pirkis, ). The number of calls made to meet the criterion for being a FC also varies (Middleton et al, ; Scott, Strickland, Warner, & Dawson, ).…”

“…The phenomenon of callers making multiple calls has been described in the literature in different terms, such as frequent, chronic, or repeat callers (Middleton, Gunn, Bassilos, & Pirkis, ). The number of calls made to meet the criterion for being a FC also varies (Middleton et al, ; Scott, Strickland, Warner, & Dawson, ). This study uses the term ‘frequent caller’ and TNs are asked how they define such a caller.…”

“…Although there is no consensus on a definition of the term, the phenomenon of FCs is described in the studies that use the term. In several studies, the FCs were more likely to have psychiatric comorbidity (Corral, Yaur, Diaz, Simmons, & Sussman, ; Edwards, Bassett, Sinden, & Fothergrill, ; Fisher et al, ; Liu et al, ; Middleton et al, ; Pirkis et al, ; Ramors‐Rivers et al, ; Spittal et al, ). Furthermore, a connection has been found between medical‐psychiatric comorbidity and frequent use of primary care resources (Ferrari, Galeazzi, Mackinnon, & Rigatelli, ).…”

Predicting Caller Type From a Mental Health and Well-Being Helpline: Analysis of Call Log Data (Preprint)

“…If a caller made less than answered N calls, we collected that lower number of calls. The values of N cascaded through the sequence: 2,4,8,16,24,32,48,64,256,1024,2048,4096,8192. We hoped that low values of N would reasonably suffice overall.…”