CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is seeing more requests for help after changing from its older ten-digit number to the three digit '988'.
Formerly known as the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the 988 service has received over 1.7 million requests over calls, text and chat messages from July to November 2022, its first five months of operation.
That's almost half a million more than the same time period in 2021.
The increased use is partly a good sign, according to Drew Martel from Foundation 2 Crisis Services, one of the organization that handles 988 calls in Iowa.
"There has absolutely been an increased awareness about the 988 lifeline as there's been a lot of media attention, but also increased funding dedicated to things like advertising the line," Martel said. "The federal government has really stepped up its advocation for the line as well."
However, Martel added that some of the increase is a result of the pandemic.
The pandemic was especially challenging for families and youth," he said. "There's some interesting research coming out on academic setbacks as a result of the pandemic. But I think a long period of isolation, which really plays on certain mental health conditions, like major depressive disorder, social anxiety, stuff like that also contributed. Again, I think it's likely a combination of factors that have increased the call volume on 988."
Extra funding and staffing have aided in handling the increased volume of calls, which has lead to higher quality of service, according to national data.
In November 2022, the most recent data available when this article was published, the national average speed to answer a request was only 36 seconds.
In November 2021, that number was 187 seconds.
Percentage of calls answered also greatly improved.
In Iowa, 92% of 988 requests In November 2022 were answered. That's compared to 70% in November 2021.
For Illinois, 81% of requests in November 2022 were answered. That's compared to only 19% in November 2021.
Martel said improvements to technology has improved 988's ability to help a more diverse range of people.
Martel said while the large majority of requests come through normal phone calls, more people are reaching out to 988 through text messages and online chat.
Telehealth is another tool, where a counselor meets with a person through video chat.
Martel said in some areas of Iowa, 988 also offers mobile crisis outreach. where a counselor goes to provide services in-person.
He added that in the rural Midwest, the variety is helping to serve agricultural workers, especially men.
"We know in general that men in the U.S. are much less likely to seek mental health support, while simultaneously having the highest rates of suicide in the U.S.," Martel said. "We certainly don't want anybody to suffer in silence or suffer alone."
Martel said that the reasons for this high suicide rate is complex, but for the rural agricultural community, he says stigma towards mental health concerns and lack of easy access to proper care are issues.
"Even if you do maybe want to reach out, it can be really hard to find someone," he said. "You might only have one therapist in your whole town, you might not have any therapists at all, you might not have a psychiatrist for 40 miles. So there are a lot of barriers around making those connections that range from stigma to simply having access."
If you or someone else is thinking about suicide or simply needs emotional support, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Online chat messaging, video and other information is available at https://988lifeline.org/
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