Early Assessment of the New 988 Mental Crisis Hotline

>> Cathy: LATE LAST YEAR A NEW NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS LINE WAS LAUNCHED.

ALL AMERICANS CAN NOW CALL OR TEXT 988 WHEN THEY'RE IN CRISIS OR NEED MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT.

THE SYSTEM IS ORGANIZED AND FUNDED DIFFERENTLY FROM STATE TO STATE.

A RECENT STORY IN THE STAR TRIBUNE LOOKED AT HOW THE 988 ROLLOUT AS GONE IN MINNESOTA AND HOW LAWMAKERS ARE ALREADY LOOKING TO STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEM.

CHRIS SERRES IS A REPORTER FOR THE STAR TRIBUNE.

MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IS ONE OF HIS AREAS OF EXPERTISE.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: I UNDERSTAND THAT 11% OF THOSE WHO HAVE CALLED THIS HOTLINE HAVE BEEN CALLING BECAUSE THEY ARE THINKING OF SUICIDE AND ABOUT 80% JUST NEED EMOTIONAL SUPPORT.

DID THAT SURPRISE THE ORGANIZERS?

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK IT KIND OF DID.

YOU KNOW, LAST SUMMER WHEN THEY LAUNCHED THIS, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF TREPIDATION ABOUT HOW 988 WAS GOING TO WORK, WOULD IT WORK.

AND I THINK WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS IS IT'S DEFINITELY WORKING.

IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT SAVING LIVES.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS, THOUGH, THAT WE'RE LEARNING IS THAT 988 IS ALSO REVEALING SOME OF THE GAPS IN OUR SYSTEM OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE.

AND SO THERE IS A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLING AND TEXTING 988, NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE, BUT BECAUSE THEY NEED THIS KIND OF ONGOING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE CALLING MAYBE EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THESE CRISIS CALL CENTERS IS THAT JUST REFLECTS THE FACT THAT THEY'RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES.

YOU KNOW, IT TAKES MONTHS SOMETIMES TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST.

AND SO THESE CALLS AND THESE TEXTS THAT ARE POURING INTO THE CALL CENTERS, I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL OBVIOUSLY THAT PEOPLE ARE USING 988, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS THERE FOR, BUT IT'S STARTING TO EXPOSE SOME OF THESE CRACKS IN OUR SYSTEM.

>> Cathy: ARE THESE FOLKS GETTING THE HELP THEY NEED THEN?

I MEAN, BECAUSE I'M SURE THESE CALLS ARE PROBABLY LENGTHY CALLS, RIGHT?

I MEAN, THEY NEED -- I WOULD SUPPOSE BETTER SUPPORT THAN THAT.

RIGHT?

>> I MEAN, WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THE CALL CENTERS IS THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY GETTING CONNECTED TO RESOURCES, RIGHT, SO THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THEY'RE BEING CONNECTED TO RESOURCES.

AND ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS NEW NUMBER, 988, IS THAT WHEN THEY LAUNCHED IT, THERE WAS ALL KINDS OF NEW FEDERAL MONEY THAT FLOWED TO THE CALL CENTERS SO THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO RAMP UP.

THEY WERE ABLE TO HIRE MORE COUNSELORS AND SO NOW THE PERCENTAGE OF CALLS THAT ARE ANSWERED IN MINNESOTA IS NEARLY 90%.

BEFORE 988, A LOT OF THOSE CALLS WERE REDIRECTED TO CALL CENTERS IN OTHER STATES.

YOU HAD SOMEBODY IN PENNSYLVANIA THAT WAS ANSWERING A CALL FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS STRUGGLEING WITH THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE.

WHICH IF YOU TALK TO PEOPLE WHO WORK IN CALL CENTERS IN CRISIS COUNSELORS, IT'S ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT THOSE CALLS BE ANSWERED IN MINNESOTA.

BECAUSE PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA, THE CRISIS COUNSELORS KNOW THE RESOURCES THAT ARE HERE.

>> Eric: OH, SURE.

>> RIGHT?

THEY KNOW THAT ESSENTIAL EVERY COUNTY IN OUR STATE HAS A MOBILE CRISIS TEAM THAT CAN GO TO YOUR HOME, THAT CAN O INTO YOUR COMMUNITY AND HELP YOU IN A TIME OF MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.

AND SOMEBODY THAT'S ANSWERING THAT CALL IN, YOU KNOW, PHILADELPHIA ISN'T NECESSARILY GOING TO KNOW THAT.

>> Cathy: MAKES SENSE.

>> Eric: TEXTS AND CHAT MESSAGES ARE THEY INCLUDED IN THE 988 TECHNOLOGY?

>> THEY ARE, THEY ARE.

AND THAT'S A HUGE ADVANTAGE, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY'RE GOING TO TEXT.

>> Eric: SURE.

>> I HAVE TWO TEENAGE KIDS KIDS.

THEY RARELY MAKE PHONE CALLS.

THEY USE TEXT.

AND TEXTS HAVE GONE UP THROUGH 988 OVER 500% SINCE THEY LAUNCHED THE NUMBER.

>> Cathy: AND DO YOU THINK THAT IS, ARE THOSE TEENAGERS THAT ARE ASKING FOR HELP?

I WONDER.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: THAT REFLECTS WHAT WE'RE HEARING IN TERMS OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AMONG OUR YOUNGEST PEOPLE.

>> ABSOLUTELY, THEY'RE USING THE 988.

>> Eric: FEDERAL MONEY'S GOING TO RUN OUT.

THE LEGISLATURE, ADVOCATES SAY IS LOOKING AT LIKE A RECORD AMOUNT OF SPENDING FOR A MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS IN GENERAL.

WILL THE LEGISLATURE STEP UP AND PROVIDE SOME FOR THIS OR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN FINANCIAL-WISE HERE?

>> WELL, WHAT I'M HEARING FROM, YOU KNOW, THE CRISIS CALL CENTERS AND FROM MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES IS IT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL THAT THIS BE, THAT THIS BE FULLY FUNDED.

I MEAN, WE WOULD NEVER CONSIDER UNDERFUNDING 911.

WE WOULD NEVER IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE ANSWERING A 911 CALL IN PENNSYLVANIA.

AND THE VIEW IS WE SHOULD BE FUNDING 988 AS FULLY AS WE FUND 911.

SO WHAT WE NEED, WHAT CALL CENTERS SAY THEY NEED IS MORE STABLE STATE FUNDING SO THAT THEY CAN MAINTAIN THE STAFFING THAT THEY'VE BROUGHT IN SINCE THE LAUNCH OF 988 AND MAINTAIN IT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO ANSWER THOSE CALLS IN MINNESOTA WHERE WE KNOW WHERE THE RESOURCES ARE, WHERE WE KNOW WHO CAN GO AND HELP THOSE FOLKS IN THEIR IME OF DISTRESS.

>> Eric: WE'LL WATCH THAT HUMAN SERVICES BILL AS THEY PUT IT TOGETHER IN MAY.