Citation

Brockopp GW. Crisis Interv. 1970; 2(2): 52-54.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1970, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

One of the concerns of a suicide crisis center is what to do with the nuisance, prank, fake, or hang-up call.15 A nuisance call implies being bothered with a trivial or inappropriate situation or condition. It implies that certain calls can, on the basis of their substance or length be defined as non-critical, non-crisis, or non-problem calls, that there is some standard by which we can designate a call as being a nuisance call, whereas other calls of a similar nature will be designated as being real problem calls. It is questionable whether we can define calls into "real" calls and "nuisance" calls. To define a call as a nuisance call is to set up an arbitrary standard as to the type of problem or situation with which we will work. It is to make a judgment and to set up certain criteria that the individual should meet before he makes a call to the center. It forces an individual to make a judgment about the validity or severity of his problem before he attempts to seek help. We feel it is inappropriate to require this and that to do so will eventually be detrimental to the telephone therapy service. Just as a therapist needs some kind of communication before he can work on a problem that his client or patient presents (these communications may come in a variety of ways, many of them non-verbal) the telephone therapist needs calls before he can begin to work on a problem. Any impediment placed in a person's way, which may keep him from making a call, or any movement to force him to predefine the validity of his call before he makes it, would seem to be unnecessary and would place the crisis service in the same category as many other helping agencies, that is, a problem of a client is considered to be a real problem only when the agency defines it as such. For example, some agencies only work with sixteen-year-olds and above, or children, or marriage problems, or psychotics, or individuals with neurotic disorders. The crisis telephone service in contra- distinction to these should be one which is open to all individuals, regardless of their orientation, background or difficulty, to have, through telephone contacts, a potential therapeutic relationship with a helping individual.

Most people who have a problem usually feel uncertain whether or not they should attempt to get help for themselves or whether they should follow the normal or accepted pattern of getting themselves out of the problem without external assistance. Stated another way, people in crisis are often unsure about the validity of their seeking help. The Center should not force these individuals into a situation where they have to decide whether or not their problem is severe enough before they can call. This will mean that the center must be open to all types of...

Language: en