Many lonely people call for spiritual help during the holidays – said the vice-president of the Association of Hungarian Spiritual First Aid Telephone Services on the Friday morning.
Erika Dudás said that at such times many people talk about their losses and their departed loved ones, but the problems of relationships, generations and health also intensify.
There are roughly four hundred to six hundred calls to 116-123 toll-free 24 hours a day. The average duration of substantive conversations is roughly 20 minutes, but it can be 1-1.5 hours in a critical, even suicidal, situation. There are also returning callers. Approximately 52 percent of callers are men and 48 percent are women, she said.
The expert said more people are already relieved to be able to tell someone about their problems.
She also pointed out that the number of substantive calls has increased as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. The wave of epidemics also determined the issues of callers in need of help, the vice president said, explaining that during the first wave there was anxiety, mainly due to isolation and lack of information. Afterwards, many people called because of the consequences.
There have been more calls about vaccinations this year, Erika Dudás said.
MTI
pixabay
