My Experiences: I have called crisis lines twice in the past several years when I felt I was moving beyond generic suicidal ideation. (These were the US national VA lines.) Neither call/conversation was long; each time they told me to go to the ER, which I did. I never wound up in a psych ward, but neither instance worked out well for me.

After talking with my pdoc, we've decided the best thing for me to do in those situations are for me to take additional doses of my antianxiety medication.

Those are my limited experiences. I have read many positive stories of people reaching sympathetic and even helpful ears when they call a crisis line.