Patterns of use of a regional psychiatric emergency helpline in Denmark

Timely access to care is essential for individuals experiencing acute psychiatric crises, including those at risk of suicide. In 2022, psychiatric emergency departments (EDs) in the Capital Region of Denmark reorganized their telephone services into a regional psychiatric emergency helpline (PEH) staffed by psychiatric nurses. This study aimed to evaluate call patterns, accessibility, and utilization of this service during its initial years. We conducted a descriptive study of all calls directed to psychiatric EDs and automatically forwarded to the PEH between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025. Data from the telephone system included number of calls, timing, response rates, waiting times, caller groups, and conversation duration. Temporal patterns were observed across 3-month periods, days of the week and 4-hour intervals. Individual callers were identified based on telephone numbers and categorized by call frequency. A total of 114,323 calls were received between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., of which 99,292 were answered, corresponding to a response rate of 86.9%. Calls were distributed throughout the day, with the highest number of calls between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mean waiting time for answered calls was 79 s (median 10 s, interquartile range [IQR]: 7–29 s; 95th percentile: 7 min and 34 s), while more than half of unanswered calls were terminated within one minute. Most answered calls (72.5%) originated from the intended service user group, primarily adults calling regarding their own mental health or relatives. Among individuals calling about their own mental health, 69.1% contacted the PEH only once, whereas a small proportion of frequent callers accounted for a substantial share of activity. Specifically, 0.4% of callers accounted for 19.5% of all answered calls and 21.9% of total conversation time. Assessing all incoming calls to the PEH, we found high response rates and short waiting times. Most calls came from individuals within the intended service user group of individuals who called regarding own mental health concerns or relatives. The vast majority of conversation hours were spent on this group. We found that a small fraction of frequent callers accounted for one fifth of the total conversation time.