9-8-8 an essential tool to combat suicide and other mental health problems

• There is a helpline to prevent suicide
• They seek to combat the stigma against these people
• Also help with mental health problems

Across the country, large numbers of Americans are facing suicide crises and mental health issues without receiving the necessary care.

These cries for help have reached historically high levels, due to the stress and anxiety related to the pandemic.

In 2020 alone, there was one death by suicide every 11 minutes in the United States, and more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses from April 2020 to 2021.

Now, we share with you a few data from the state of Georgia regarding the issue of suicide.

The state of Georgia

988ga.org a resource for those interested in building the statewide crisis assistance system, mentions that in Georgia, between 2019 and 2020 there was a slight decrease in suicide rates in urban areas, while rural areas saw an increase 8.3% in suicide cases.

Additionally, from April 2020 to April 2021 Georgia experienced a 36% increase in overdose-related fatalities.

Based on current estimates, the implementation of the 988 service is expected to generate up to a 100% increase in the number of calls to crisis centers by the end of the first year.

This is where 988 comes from, which aims to combat the stigma surrounding people who experience mental health crises and who often avoid seeking help.

9-8-8, The Suicide and Crisis Help Line

Its main objective is to save lives, preventing suicides and overdoses. 9-8-8 is an emergency number to call or text or chat at 988lifeline.org intended to help everyone facing mental health issues.

Regardless of whether it is suicidal thoughts, mental health crises, substance abuse issues, or other forms of emotional distress.

This number provides quick access to compassionate care and support services, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, throughout the United States.

This in both urban and rural areas, and for people of all ages, including children, adolescents and older adults.

Hispanics and 9-8-8

To find out how much people know about 9-8-8 helpline, Lexicon Strategies in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) conducted a survey in Georgia.

A relatively high proportion of respondents who identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish reported knowing the dialing code 988 (63.6%). But only 29% of those participants, in fact, knew the purpose of the dialing code.

However, this could be influenced by the limitation that the survey was only available in English.

This could have introduced bias and affected the results, especially among respondents who did not know English.

Understanding the service

Additionally, it mentions that of those who knew the 9-8-8 code, a significant percentage (71%) incorrectly identified the purpose of the service.

This implies that the actual knowledge of the service function is limited to only 16% of the respondents overall.

Therefore, although there was apparently greater knowledge among Latino respondents, accurate understanding of the service was limited across the population.

That said, it is evident that it is necessary to create strategies to reach those populations that still do not fully know the important tool they have to face mental health problems. Here we offer you key information on 9-8-8 helpline.

A language for you

The 988 platform in 988lifeline.org It has a Spanish version, so that Latinos also have this essential mental health resource.

The website has a lot of information in Spanish, from brochures to detailed guides about how the helpline works, what the process is like when you call the site, etc.

Likewise, calls are also available in Spanish. It is a valuable resource and, without a doubt, one that makes a big difference in saving your life or the life of a person who you think may be going through some type of situation.

With the right resources, we can help create a better culture of mental health support to protect those we love and everyone who needs help.

9-8-8 for mental health

Although 9-8-8 sounds similar to 9-1-1, it is designed to provide the same ease of access when it comes to mental health crises, suicidal thoughts, or substance abuse.

9-1-1 is used for physical emergencies such as fires, car accidents or crimes, but 9-8-8 is intended for mental and emotional health situations.

If a person is dealing with suicidal thoughts, substance abuse issues, or a mental health crisis, they can call the 9-8-8 helpline any time of the day or night.

Once the call is made, you will be able to connect with professionals who will offer confidential support or direct the person to the appropriate resources.

How does 9-8-8 work?

When someone calls 9-8-8 in Georgia, their call is first routed to the state’s crisis call center, where they are connected to trained and caring professionals.

If the state call center has a high volume of calls and cannot respond in less than three minutes, the call is transferred to the national crisis and suicide lifeline system, which is staffed by professionals nationwide.

In immediate emergency situations, the call center coordinates with 9-1-1 to dispatch public safety services.

If an urgent crisis assessment is needed, a team of crisis mobile.

Your privacy is safe

The 9-8-8 helpline does not have access to geolocation. This means that it cannot know where you are calling from.

Any form of information collection attempt during the call will be intended to: 1) save lives; 2) connect people with ongoing supports; and 3) evaluate system needs and performance. But you don’t have to share any personal information when you dial.

It should be noted that there are cases in which it may be necessary for 9-8-8 helpline to pass the call to 9-1-1 to respond to a crisis in which life is at risk.

When that happens, 9-1-1 will contact the necessary service providers in order to locate the person due to the serious emergency that is taking place.

Growing to help as many as possible

In other cases, the caller is connected with a trained counselor who can address their immediate needs and connect them to care resources.

Importantly, 9-8-8 help line is in the process of being deployed and will take time to reach full capacity, just as 9-1-1 took decades to reach most Americans.

However, the availability of the number is a crucial step towards creating a system of attention in mental health that all people can access when they need it.

If you want to learn more about the 988, you can visit the website 988lifeline.org.