Have you called the 988 mental health crisis lifeline? We want to hear from you

Published Jul 19, 2024 5:00 AM

A suicide crisis call center worker sits at a desk wearing a mask. Above him a sign reads "Suicide Crisis Line"

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It’s been two years since the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched nationally as a way for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis to get immediate help. The free service connects callers to trained counselors and in-person assistance, if needed.

Since 2022, operators at 12 call centers throughout the state fielded more than 719,000 calls to the hotline. Calls rose about 14% in the lifeline’s second year of operation, according to local authorities.

More than just a new number to call for mental health crises, 988 is ultimately supposed to be a rethinking of how we respond to psychiatric emergencies, with someone to call, someone to respond and somewhere to go.

Tell LAist: What's your experience with 988?

We at LAist have been reporting on various local efforts to provide help to people experiencing mental health crises, especially those that don’t involve police or sheriff’s deputies. Experts on police use of force have long said the mere presence of law enforcement at a scene where someone is in a mental health crisis can escalate the potential danger for all involved.

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So we are asking you — our audience — to tell us your experiences with 988. Please take a moment to fill out our short survey. Were counselors able to address the matter over the phone? Did they send a crisis team to your location? How did it work out?

Your responses will help inform our reporting. We will reach out to you directly and ask for your permission before we share information about your experiences.

What we know so far

The nonprofit organization Didi Hirsch runs L.A. County’s 988 call center. Officials said about 98% of incidents can be de-escalated on the call, without the need for an in-person response.

In cases that do require a physical response, the nonprofit works with the L.A. County Department of Mental Health to dispatch teams of mental health workers who respond to crisis calls without police. The department has struggled to staff those teams, however, and have often taken hours to arrive on scene when someone is in crisis, according to data from the L.A. County Department of Mental Health and reports from families who have reached out during a crisis.

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If You Need Immediate Help

If you or someone you know is in crisis and need immediate help, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or go here for online chat.
Find 5 Action Steps for helping someone who may be suicidal, from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Six questions to ask to help assess the severity of someone's suicide risk, from the Columbia Lighthouse Project.
To prevent a future crisis, here's how to help someone make a safety plan.

It’s a problem the Didi Hirsch organization sees first-hand.

“We’re still working on it, to be quite frank,” said Shari Sinwelski, vice president of crisis care for Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. “This is a system that’s going to take time to develop, both here in California and across the United States.”

Police response

In what Sinwelski said are “rare” cases, counselors call for a law enforcement response if they believe someone’s life is in immediate danger.

Mental health advocates and criminal justice reform advocates continue to call for removing law enforcement from mental health calls, citing outcomes that can sometimes be deadly.