988 At a Glance
By now, you’ve probably heard about the “new” 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. I say “new” not to diminish this pivotal moment for mental health, but to emphasize the fact it is more or less an updated version its predecessor, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (SAMHSA, 2022). While people still have access to the former Lifeline, all calls placed to it will now be rerouted to 988 in a nationally coordinated effort to connect those in distress with crisis counselors. (SAMHSA, 2022). Perhaps you or someone you know has already placed a call in the short time since it’s been available. If you’ve taken the time to research this topic, you might have some mixed feelings regarding the quality 988’s care. Let me be the first to tell you that I too am torn on whether or not this milestone should be celebrated or critiqued. But the more I think about it, the more the therapist within me asks, “Why not both?
What makes this Lifeline so special is that it is the first of its kind to be recognized at the federal and state levels (SAMHSA, 2022). The rollout of this much needed resource serves to acknowledge the mental health crisis our nation is currently up against. Moreover, it reflects the public’s growing endorsement for the fact that mental health issues need mental health responses (Chatterjee, 2022).
Before this service, people experiencing a mental health emergency had to contact 911, which was never intended to address such needs (Chatterjee, 2022). 988, however, aims to do just that. Those seeking support for suicidal, mental health and/or substance use crises now have a viable resource at their disposal offering 24/7 call, text, and chat access to trained crisis counselors (SAMHSA, 2022). That being said, it’s worth noting that 988 is in its infancy and likely has a long way to go in terms of providing quality care to its users.
I recently spoke to a 988-caller who contacted the Lifeline on behalf of their friend and described the experience saying, “The person seemed well-trained but they were fundamentally pretty unhelpful in that all the responsibility of the situation was placed upon me.” I would like to point out that this anecdotal account does not represent all calls placed to 988. Afterall, this is only one individual’s experience and another crisis counselor may have responded differently. Still, it raises some important questions as to how 988’s crisis counselors are trained to respond to callers. Currently, there is no standardized training as it is up to each state to dictate how their 988 responders are trained (SAMHSA, 2022). So, depending on where you live, the quality of care you receive might look somewhat different from that of others living elsewhere.
It’s important to remember that 988 was also created to reduce the involvement of police in mental health emergencies. In the weeks leading up to its launch, there was quite a bit of skepticism regarding 988’s transparency or lack thereof. According to an article citing Mad in America’s Suicide Hotline Transparency Project, “People who experienced harm from calling the [National Suicide Prevention] Lifeline often speak about interventions taking place without their knowledge and consent…and with no communication from the crisis worker that emergency first responders (and police) were being dispatched to their location,” (Welle, 2022). However, a recent article from Associated Press claims that 988 does not currently use geolocation services though officials are considering its future utility in connecting callers with crisis centers more quickly (Fichera, 2022). That being said, I still think people are well within their right to question if, when, and how 988 will involve local authorities, especially those belonging to BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities that have historically been victimized by police officers (Meyer, 2020; Stansfield, 2022). Thankfully, the caller I spoke of earlier went on to say that their counselor did not immediately offer police involvement and that they ended the call feeling better about the situation.
At the very least, 988’s inception symbolizes the ever-decreasing stigma surrounding mental health. And that, I believe, is a victory in and of itself.
References
Chatterjee, R. (2022, July 16). The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know. NPR WBEZ Chicago. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number
Fichera, A. (2022, July 21). New 988 hotline doesn’t currently use geolocation services. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-988-geolocation-authorities-967858057668
Meyer, D. (2020). “So much for protect and serve”: Queer male survivors’ perceptions of negative police experiences. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 36(2), 228–250. https://doi-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/10.1177/1043986219894430
Stansfield, R. (2022). Police–community relations, excessive force, and community stress: Evidence from a community survey. Psychology of Violence, 12(4), 201–210. https://doi-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/10.1037/vio0000404
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2022, July 19). 988 Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/faqs
Welle, V. (2022, July 16). Why I Won’t (Yet) Recommend 988 as a Crisis and Suicide Prevention Resource. Medium. https://medium.com/@vicwelle/why-i-wont-yet-recommend-988-as-a-crisis-and-suicide-prevention-resource-e6de74f30421