# Facilitating use of the Veterans Crisis Line in High-Risk Patients

> **NIH VA I01** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2020 · —

## Abstract

   
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):    
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients are at a significantly elevated risk for fatal and non-fatal suicide attempts and identifying strategies to reduce the risk of suicidal behavior among members of the military and Veterans is a high national priority. The VHA has invested extensively in suicide prevention and, as part of these efforts; the Veterans Crisis Line was developed as an important resource for Veterans and their families. Utilization of the Veterans Crisis Line has expanded steadily since it first opened and, currently, it receives over 20,000 calls per month. Despite high utilization of the Crisis Line, no data are currently available on whether use of the Veterans Crisis Line reduces an individual's likelihood of a suicide attempt or death and it is not feasible to test the efficacy of the Crisis Line in a randomized controlled tril because it is nationally available to all Veterans and their families. More importantly, the Veterans Crisis Line may not reach those individuals at most acute risk for suicide. Our study team conducted a small survey of Veterans treated for recent suicidal crisis in a VHA inpatient psychiatric unit and found that less than half had ever utilized the Veterans Crisis Line and less than a third had used it within the past year. Consequently, we developed and gathered pilot data on a brief intervention designed to increase utilization of the Veterans Crisis Line among high risk patients, called Crisis Line Facilitation (CLF). This single-session intervention involve a discussion of the patient's perceived barriers of crisis line use during periods of suicidal criss. The CLF session ends with the patient calling the Crisis Line with the therapist in the room as a way for Veterans to practice the logistics of making the call and to have direct experiences that may counter any negative beliefs about Veterans Crisis Line use. The proposed study will recruit 500 participants who are currently treated for a suicidal crisis in VHA inpatient psychiatrc but have not recently used the Veterans Crisis Line. This study will be a randomized controlled trial of the impact of CLF compared to enhanced usual care (EUC) on utilization of the Veterans Crisis Line and other mental health services as well as suicide attempt(s). All participants will b re-assessed at 3-, 6- and 12- months post baseline. Analyses will also examine the extent to which post-baseline Crisis Line use mediates the effect of random assignment to CLF on subsequent suicidal behaviors. Qualitative interviews at the end of the study will help understand barriers and facilitators of future implementation of the CLF intervention. If successful, the proposed study will provide key data on the potential efficacy of a brief intervention to improve the utilization of an existing resource, the Veterans Crisis Line, to reduc suicidal behaviors in VHA patients. Developing a brief and effective approach to encour...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10179474
- **Project number:** 5I01HX001587-05
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** MARK A. ILGEN
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-07-01 → 2019-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10179474

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10179474, Facilitating use of the Veterans Crisis Line in High-Risk Patients (5I01HX001587-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10179474. Licensed CC0.

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