Pilot Study on Follow-Up of (Acutely) Suicidal Individuals From the Flemish Suicide Helpline

Callers of Zelfmoordlijn 1813 are called back after their initial conversation, in which they themselves contacted the Zelfmoordlijn 1813. The callbacks focus on crisis management at the Zelfmoordlijn 1813 and are not intended as a form of formal support. During the callback calls, the specific needs of the caller are addressed, tailored to the callback profile assigned by a call responder based on the initial call. There are three different callback profiles for callers: (1) those for whom the crisis call immediately focuses on creating safety, with the callback calls further reinforcing this safety, (2) those for whom the focus is on crisis management, with follow-up aimed at developing and implementing a Safety Plan, and (3) those who experience barriers to discussing their suicidal thoughts, with the callback conversations being used to facilitate the step towards professional help or to make suicide discussable within their own network or existing support services.