988 Is The New Mental Health Hotline
The Suicide Prevention Hotline Is Now 988 And Active In New Jersey. Promising to be a lifeline for anyone suffering a mental health crisis, the 988 hotline started over the…
The Suicide Prevention Hotline Is Now 988 And Active In New Jersey.
Promising to be a lifeline for anyone suffering a mental health crisis, the 988 hotline started over the weekend.
It's intended to be like 911 except instead of reaching police, when callers dial 988 they are directed to a regional office of trained mental health professionals. In fact, one of the regional departments will be out of New Jersey's Rutgers University.
Why 988? Because the seven digit mental health hotline wasn't really easy to remember. 988 is simple and memorable.
In the past, when someone called the seven digit number they connected to one of these offices but that number was hard to remember so people ended up calling 911. So, instead of getting a mental health professional they'd get police. Police are important, but someone under that kind of crisis doesn't always need a police officer, sometimes they just need someone to talk to.
With the 988 number, it's expected that police will be called less for mental health issues leaving them more available for actual criminal calls and investigations.
In a press conference about the 988 mental health crisis hotline, the secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services said, "If you are willing to turn to someone in your moment of crisis, 988 will be there." Xavier Becerra continued, "988 won't be a busy signal, and 988 won't put you on hold. You will get help."
As for how New Jersey is supporting this national mental health initiative, “Rutgers has operated the New Jersey Hopeline, the state’s suicide prevention hotline, for the past nine years and has experience in answering these calls,” said William Zimmerman, program manager for the NJ Hopeline and the new Lifeline national back up center.
If you or someone you know is struggling, just dial 988. Trained help is now only three digits away.
