Connecticut to launch 988 — new crisis hotline
In the U.S., 911 is synonymous with “emergency” but police, firefighters and ambulances aren't always equipped to handle the wide range of mental health crises that callers may be facing.
The national 988 hotline is designed to be a solution to that problem, and starting July 16, Connecticut residents can dial those three numbers for mental health emergencies.
“With all due respect to law enforcement, they do a great job with the variety of activities they have to do, but it would also be great to have law enforcement focus on community protection and be able to get people who are in need for mental health [support] directly connected to the alternatives in the mental health system,” said Tim Marshall, retired director at Office of Community Mental Health at the Department of Children and Families.
Marshall worked with a coalition of partners across the state to establish the 988 hotline in Connecticut.
In addition to the 211 hotline that already exists, the United Way of Connecticut will receive calls to the 988 number. In the past, 211 has been the go-to number for mental health and suicide callers in Connecticut, but the 988 initiative is supposed to be a nationwide version of that call center.
The state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services received the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's 988 State Planning Grant in 2021 after the Federal Communications Commission voted in 2020 to establish the number as an easy-to-remember national alternative to the patchwork of suicide hotlines that exist across the country.
It's expected that every state will have a fully staffed call center, like the one run by the United Way of Connecticut, to accept 988 calls. Many states are behind. As a result, July 16 will be a chance for Connecticut to test out the new system without being part of a nationwide launch. Those involved are calling it a “soft launch.”
“If you don't live in Connecticut,
be aware that this may not be ready to go,” said Thomas Burr, community and affiliate relations manager at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Connecticut.
At the national level, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has asked states that have launched to hold off on major marketing campaigns to avoid creating confusion among neighboring states that may not have the system operating. There is no database showing which states are going to be ready for 988 calls on July 16.
Both 988 and 211 will connect callers to the same center at the United Way of Connecticut. From there, if someone is in crisis, they will be quickly directed to an appropriate professional.
In 2020, 359 people in Connecticut died by suicide. It was a decline from the 426 people who died by suicide in 2019, but it was still the second-most common cause of death in 2020 for those 10 to 34 years old, according to the data.
“COVID came along and really ratcheted up the level of anxiety and just problems for people who had an underlying mental health condition that hadn't been manifesting itself,” Burr said. “We went from saying everybody knows somebody ... to everybody's living with somebody [struggling with mental health].”
Operators are trained to help determine the best way to help the person who is calling. For some, it may just be someone to listen and talk through a problem.
“A lot of times, they just resolve stuff over the phone, because what appears to be a crisis may just (be needing) someone to talk to for a few minutes, let them know that, hey, they weren't alone and there are resources and here's the local people you need to reach out to so we can get you hooked up to whatever it is that you're looking for,” Burr said.
Sometimes, an emergency service such as an ambulance or police officer may be needed, but research shows these emergency professionals should not be the first line of defense when mental health is at play.
An investigation by The Washington
Post revealed at least 178 cases from 2019 to 2021 in which “calls for help” resulted in law enforcement officers shooting and killing the people who called for assistance.
Connecticut police officers can take a crisis intervention training course, but it is not a requirement, according to Burr.
“Law enforcement, in particular, has made strong efforts to do a better job with people who are having some kind of mental health crisis,” Marshall said. “But obviously the last number of years, there's been quite a bit of national response to sometimes when they've not gone well. So this was a national effort to try to pull out the crisis mental health calls.”
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (En Español: 888628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. If you are located in Connecticut, you can call 211 now or 988 (effective July 16).