MINNEAPOLIS — The new 988 suicide and crisis hotline meant to tackle the nation's mental health crisis debuted last year. But experts say it still has a lot of hurdles to overcome, especially when it comes to awareness.
A recent Pew survey found just 13% of people are familiar with 988, but over a quarter of them either don't know or aren't sure when to use it.
What's worse, the holidays can make it more difficult to manage mental health.
"The numbers aren't good," said Dr. Dan Reidenberg about suicide rates. He said that new federal data will reveal record numbers in 2022.
A leader in suicide prevention for decades, Dr. Reidenberg also sounded the alarm last year about 988 and says it's still ironing out issues today.
"The real issue is that this is around people in a mental health crisis or people who are suicidal and we don't have that long to wait," said Dr. Reidenberg.
Nearly five million people have used 988 in the 16 months since it launched, but another new study published in the JAMA Network found that a majority of the most distressed people wouldn't use it again.
"We have many populations that are afraid to call 988 because they think they're going to be put in a hospital or they're going to jail or the police are going to come," said Dr. Reidenberg. "We need to change some of the language around what 988 is and what people can expect when they contact that number."
Congress has also invested a billion dollars in 988 and some states, like Minnesota, have secured local funding, but Reidenberg worries that won't last.
"How long will Congress allow this to continue when everybody is looking at scarce resources," said Dr. Reidenberg. "And we have to weigh out is that investment worth the return we're getting."
To maintain your mental health, Dr. Reidenberg says to remember to take a break, get perspective and connect with others - not just during the holidays.
"If we could do that through the rest of the year, we'd see suicide rates drop," said Dr. Reidenberg.
He also says suicide rates are actually the lowest this time of year, in part, because we're making connections with people more often. The highest is actually in the spring and fall when stress around starting and finishing school, in particular, is greater.
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, there is help available from the following resources:
- Crisis Text Line – text “MN” to 741741 (standard data and text rates apply)
- Crisis Phone Number in your Minnesota county
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), Talk to Someone Now
- Throughout Minnesota call **CRISIS (**274747)
- The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386
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