Callers continue to flood the 988 mental health and suicide number

HYATTSVILLE, Md. – When Jamieson Brill answers a crisis call from a Spanish speaker via the newly established 988 national mental health hotline, he rarely mentions the word suicide or “suicidio”.

Brill, whose family is from Puerto Rico, knows that just talking about the term is so frowned upon in some Spanish-speaking cultures that many callers are too scared to even admit they’re calling for themselves.

“As strong as the stigma around mental health is in English-speaking cultures, it’s three times as strong in Spanish-speaking cultures,” said Brill, who helps people cope with mental health crises from a tiny brick building tucked away in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Brill works in one of more than 200 call centers across the country that deal with a surge in calls day and night from people contemplating suicide or experiencing a mental health emergency.

with bipartisan congressional support and nearly $1 billion in federal fundingThe 988 mental health hotline has rapidly expanded its reach in the six months since its launch – with over 2 million calls, texts and chat messages.

The number of centers that take calls in Spanish has increased from three to seven in the past year. A pilot line for LGBTQ youth took calls in September. And plans are afoot to keep the momentum going, with the federal government adding Spanish-language chat and text options later this year and aiming to expand those services to 24/7 operation for the LGBTQ line.

If the 24/7 phone introduced last summer, It built on the existing network that staffed the old national lifeline 1-800-273-8255. The new 988 number is as easy to remember as the 911.

It couldn’t have come at a more urgent time: Depression rates among adults in the USOverdose deaths and suicide rates are on the rise.

“The volume of calls is well above our expectations in some cases,” said Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, deputy secretary for mental health and drug use at the Department of Health and Human Services. “It lets us know that people are struggling, people are having a hard time. Where I feel encouraged that people are connecting with services and supports rather than fighting alone.”

According to the latest data available, the 988 helpline registered 154,585 more calls, texts and chat messages in November 2022 compared to the old national lifeline in November 2021.

Texting was particularly popular, with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration noting a 1,227% increase in texting to the line over the same period.

The Veterans Crisis Line — callers can press “1” after texting or calling 988 to reach them — has received 450,000 calls, texts and chat messages, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. By the end of the year, the line had managed a nearly 10% increase compared to 2021.

Calls show no sign of slowing down this year, with advisers taking 3,869 calls on New Year’s Eve and the first day of 2023 – a 30 percent increase from the previous holiday. The Spanish-language line saw a year-on-year increase of 3,800 calls from November 2021 to November 2022.

Meanwhile, some states are considering unveiling their own lines dedicated to specific communities.

In November, Washington became the first state to launch a mental health crisis hotline aimed at Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Callers in Washington can reach the line by dialing 988 and then pressing “4” to be greeted by one of the 13 counselors — all Native Americans — who mann the phones.

It’s critical that other American Indians take these calls, because those familiar with the culture can instantly decipher some terms that others can’t, said Rochelle Williams, the tribal operations manager for Volunteers of America Western Washington, who is responsible for the Call center supervised. For example, if a caller says that a relative is “harassing me,” that immediately sends a warning signal: the person is probably signaling that they are a victim of sexual assault.

“Who has a better understanding of Native Americans than Native Americans?” said Williams. “We don’t trust many government programs. Knowing that you are speaking to another indigenous person is really important.”

Williams next wants to add chat and text options. She hopes Washington’s 988 line for Native Americans will become a model for others. She has spoken in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Montana and in Canada, which will launch its own national 988 this year.

States are expected to receive more money to fund the line of t The $1.7 trillion spending package at the end of the yearwho have committed another half billion dollars to the project.

However, long-term funding for the 988 hotline is at risk in some states that have yet to develop a permanent funding plan for it. While the federal government has poured millions of dollars into the project, states are expected to take over the operation and funding of the 988 line — just like 911 emergency services.

Less than 20 states so far have passed legislation to permanently fund their 988 lineaccording to the National Alliance on Mental Health Illness.

In Ohio, for example, advocates are urging the state legislature to sign a 50-cent fee tacked on cellphone bills, raising about $50 million to $55 million each year to run the line, said Coder’s Tony Ohio Foundation Suicide Prevention.

“Honestly, lives depend on it,” Coder said. “The need for 988 services is more critical than ever simply because of the fallout and mental health issues of COVID.”