We ’ ve Had The 988 Crisis Line For a Year. Here ’ s What ’ s Working and What Needs to Change

On July 16 last year, the U.S. government changed the national suicide lifeline from an 800 number into an easier-to-remember three digit one: 988. As part of the revision, the government also pledged $1 billion to enhance services provided by the network, including building up staffing at the 200 call centers as well as creating more resources such as mobile crisis teams and crisis stabilization centers for people who needed immediate or follow-up care. In the year since, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the non-profit Vibrant Emotional Health—which together operate the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—say they’ve fielded more than 5 million requests from people in mental health crises via phone, text, and chat. That’s 2 million more than the previous iteration of the lifeline received in its last year. Not only is the Lifeline answering more requests, but those responses have become quicker as well, dropping from two minutes and 39 seconds prior to 988’s launch to just 41 seconds. The program has also expanded: the Lifeline recently added LGBTQ+-focused counselors and enhanced Spanish language services on phone, text, and chat. Counselors are trained to de-escalate a crisis, and if they aren’t able to do so, they have the ability to connect to the user’s local emergency medical services, including mobile mental health teams and emergenc...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Mental Health Source Type: news