Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Have you called the 988 mental health crisis lifeline? We want to hear from you
Inside one of the state's 988 call centers.
(
Courtesy Didi Hirsch
)
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.
Support for LAist comes from
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.
Support for LAist comes from
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.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist