What form of privacy do doctors and call centers follow around suicide?

Question

Purely out of curiosity, what practices do doctors and call centers have to follow for patients considering or with intent of ending their own lives?

Does it remain confidential? Or do they have to report it somehow?

Answer 1

Mandatory reporting requirements depends on local law, which tend to require reporting only in connection with minors suspected of having been abused. This page allows you to search by state (including all states) and topic (esp. "Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect"). This may also include reporting requirements for mentally ill, the elderly, or possibly anyone suspected of having been abused. Another trigger is threat of imminent physical harm to others. The military seems to have somewhat broader reporting requirements. In other words, there isn't a single US answer, but generally there is no higher authority in charge of tracking suicides, and suicide is not a crime, so there is nobody to report to – except in cases of suspected abuse, which would be a crime.