Three-digit suicide hotline goes live Saturday
Reps. Seth Moulton and Chris Murphy discuss how the new hotline could save thousands of lives.
Editor's Note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A new national suicide prevention hotline, which went live Saturday, could save thousands of lives, according to Reps. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who initially sponsored the legislation in Congress.
Beginning Saturday, callers across the country can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988, as opposed to the 1-800 number previously used to reach the hotline.
Despite the bipartisan nature of the legislation establishing the 988 hotline, it was a challenge, and took years to get through Congress, Moulton and Stewart said.
The 988 lifeline, Moulton said, is designed to ensure "the person you talk to is someone who can relate to your particular needs."
FEDS TO SET UP 3-DIGIT SUICIDE HOTLINE NUMBER TO TRY SAVING LIVES
"I’m a veteran," he added. "I want to be able to talk to someone who understands veterans issues, who hopefully served him or herself, but at least knows what we go through, because these are unique experiences."
"That’s exactly what will happen. If I call and I’m a veteran, they’re going to route me to the veterans' crisis line."
This same concept applied to other issues, Moulton said, including those who speak a different language.
Prior to the three-digit lifeline launching Saturday, Moulton said it had not been widely publicized, to ensure individuals did not call the number and get no response.
"We’re just starting our publicity effort right now, and we want people to talk about this as much as possible," he said.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) speaks with a reporter outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on November 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))
"I think a lot of it is going to come through word of mouth," Stewart said. "We think the grassroots will be a lot of the way we inform people."
Moulton said the minute the lifeline goes live, "it’s going to start saving lives."
"We expect it to save thousands of lives every year, because about half of the Americans who have a mental health issue… don’t ever get any treatment. And a lot of that is because they just don’t know who to call."
Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah
Both Stewart and Moulton said the three-digit number is an important step in reducing suicide, but it is not the only solution.
"This will help, there’s no question," Stewart. "But there’s all sort of things that have to work in tangent with it. Families have to be stronger than they are now. Communities have to be stronger. I think faith has to be stronger. Government’s got to be better to respond to people’s needs. There’s a whole long list of things that have to be, I think, operating better, more responsive, than they are right now."
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Moulton added the "single most important thing" in preventing suicide is to talk about mental health.
Growing research shows that children, teens and young adults are struggling with their mental health after COVID-19 restrictions stole normal activities like parties, school and more from them. (iStock)
"There’s a strong stigma in America right now against dealing with it," he added, citing the example of special forces troops practicing mindfulness to make their mental health stronger.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death overall in the United States, and the second leading cause of death among those ages 10 to 14 and ages 15 to 24. According to the CDC, there were nearly two times as many suicides in the United States in 2020 as there were homicides.