With an increase for mental health services, specifically suicide intervention, on the rise across the nation, local mental health professionals are very excited for the rollout of the new 988 lifeline number.
The new 988 number is similar to that of 911 but rather than being directed to emergency personnel, callers will be connected directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Crosswinds Counseling and Wellness Director Amanda Cunningham says the three-digit number will provide quicker and easier access to essential services.
She explains that finding a traditional 10-digit number and dialing it is not an ideal situation or reasonable expectation for someone who is in the midst of mental health crisis.
Cunningham says the new number comes online at a time when calls to crisis service lines are on a major upswing in Kansas.
Between 2016 and 2019 Kansas calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline rose from just over 10,000 a year to more than 17,000 and have held steadily in that range since. Many health professionals have pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic and isolation over the past year as a leading cause to the increase in mental health service requests.
If you or someone you know is in need of suicide prevention services please visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 988.
