Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Mental Health Crisis Line Callers Who Were Transferred to 911

Objective: This study aimed to describe the characteristics of callers to a statewide mental health crisis line who were transferred to 911 (active rescue).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined mental health crisis line calls transferred to active rescue (N=3,538 calls; N=3,132 unique callers) from the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (2016-2018). Chi-square analyses and t tests were used to examine descriptive differences between caller characteristics and call features.

Results: Of crisis line callers with a contact that resulted in active rescue, 53% were male, and 53% were Black. Youth callers represented 11% of all rescue calls; 74% of these callers had Medicaid. Active rescue most frequently occurred because of a danger to oneself (58%). Reasons for active rescue differed by race (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Most crisis calls resulting in active rescue occurred because of concern about self-harm. Demographic differences by reason for active rescue reveal gaps in the understanding of crisis care delivery.