Suicide prevention hotline to have three-digit number for mental health emergencies: 988

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A three-digit suicide prevention hotline number will soon make seeking emergency mental health help more like calling 911.

A three-digit suicide prevention hotline number will soon make seeking emergency mental health help more like calling 911, federal regulators announced Thursday.

When the months-long process is completed, U.S. residents will be able to call 988 for help in a mental health emergency, just as 911 connects people in need to first-responders for other emergencies. Currently, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline uses a 10-digit number, 800-273-TALK . That number routes callers to one of 163 crisis centers, where counselors answered 2.2 million calls last year.

“The three-digit number is really going to be a breakthrough in terms of reaching people in a crisis,” said Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, a suicide prevention nonprofit. “No one is embarrassed to call 911 for a fire or an emergency. No one should be embarrassed to call 988 for a mental health emergency."

 

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Fantastic idea, but I fear it will make things very difficult for those have a bad time, but they will have their careers taken and life ruined if their peers or profession find out the called. Millions say nothing bc of those exact reasons.

And where will they get all the people to man phones?

More wasted tax money will be allocated to this nonsense. Let Darwinism work its magic.

BBI-SELF THE OMBUDSMAN A HANSEN ODUOR.

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