This September, in honor of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, KGOU presents “988: A Call for Crisis Care.”
On July 16th the federal government transitioned the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to an easy-to-remember 3-digit number. 988 is a resource that anyone can call, text or chat for mental health support. Crisis counselors are trained to address a range of mental health emergencies like depression and anxiety, to suicide ideation and substance use disorders.
What actually happens when someone dials 988? How is the Lifeline serving as a tool to improve mental health emergency response? And is there a path between mental health emergencies and recovery? “988: A Call for Crisis Care” reviews the rollout of 988, explores the state of mental health crisis response, and asks how crisis care can be improved.
