Calls to crisis hotlines surge after Williams' suicide

The suicide of beloved actor Robin Williams has led to a surge of calls to crisis hotlines around the country this week and has boosted the number of people offering to volunteer as mental health advocates.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline saw the greatest number of calls in its history Tuesday, the day after Williams' death was announced. The 7,500 calls that came in that day were twice the normal number, says John Draper, project director at the lifeline.

But the actual number of calls that day is likely eight times higher, says Draper, noting that his national center receives only about 12% of all crisis phone calls. The rest go directly to the 160 local crisis centers around the country. These local centers, from New Mexico to New Jersey, also say their phones are ringing off the hook.

Draper credits the increase in crisis calls to publicity about the national hotline -- 1-800-273-TALK (8255) -- which has been heavily promoted by the news media covering Williams' death.

Coverage of Williams' suicide "is not so much creating distress as finding people in distress," Draper says. "The more people who are calling, the more lives will be saved."

Williams' death also has inspired many people to call mental health advocacy groups, both to help themselves or a loved one, as well as to speak out about mental illness and volunteer.

Calls to the toll-free number at NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness -- (800) 950-NAMI (6264) -- jumped 20% Tuesday and Wednesday spokeswoman Katrina Gay says. NAMI's reach on Facebook soared from its usual 91,000 to 1.4 million on Wednesday. E-mails doubled. So did Web traffic, spiking to 47,000 visitors.

More than 70% of people clicking on the website were new visitors, Gay says. And twice as many as usual are now clicking the "speak out" tab on the NAMI website.

Crisis hotlines often get more phone calls after the suicide of a famous person. The suicide of a close friend can increase the risk of suicide in vulnerable loved ones. Even the deaths of strangers and celebrities can increase the risk of suicide in others, a well-documented phenomenon known as "suicide contagion," says Aaron Krasner, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut. Mental health advocates have urged journalists to be sensitive to this danger when reporting on Williams' death, to avoid romanticizing suicide or making it look like a good option.

"There's always a concern about 'copycat' suicides when a death by suicide is reported in the media," says Paul Holtzheimer, director of the mood disorders service at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. "This is more likely when the deceased is a celebrity, and the risk is greater with greater media coverage."

About three-quarters of Krasner's patients this week have wanted to talk about Williams' death, he says. Many were saddened to see someone die from a disease with which they are also struggling. Distressed parents also called him, worried that "this is what's in store for their child."

While sensational media coverage can be harmful, responsible coverage also can raise awareness of depression and the benefits of treatment, leading some people to get help, Holtzheimer says.

"It means that people aren't suffering in silence," says Jeffrey Borenstein, president of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation in New York. "They are looking to get treatment, so they reduce the risk of a tragic outcome like suicide."