LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and on the 8th of this month, it’s the perfect time to make the nation aware of the 9-8-8 crisis hotline.
“In 2022, the national suicide prevention hotline became 9-8-8. The thought was the 3-digit number would be easier for people in crisis to remember,” said University of Kentucky psychologist, Dr. Julie Cerel.
Dr. Cerel and other mental health experts had a feeling the 9-8-8 hotline would receive a significant number of calls, but not to the extent that it has.
“In fiscal year 2024, so last year, 9-8-8 received over 630,000 calls, texts, and chats for the nation. So (that’s) huge volume,” Dr. Cerel stated.
She said some of those calls aren’t appropriate, and their staff of trained professionals is equipped to handle those and decipher what is a valid crisis. Help on the 9-8-8 hotline is available 24/7, and not every call requires some sort of intervention.
“One of the things people worry about with 988 is it's like 911 and an officer will show up at your door, and the reality is that's very rare. I think it’s less than 4% of calls end up with an officer-involved presence,” Dr. Cerel said before noting that when that happens, it’s because there’s been a legitimate or stated attempt to take one’s own life.
Dr. Cerel said most of the people taking their lives in recent years are middle-aged men, and often that happens because that segment of the population is most likely to resist seeking out help.
“Suicide is never the cause of one thing. I think there are a lot of issues going on right now; the economy is one of them, politics, relationship breakups, especially with young people. It’s usually a buildup of many things going on in their lives,” Dr. Cerel said.
No matter what combination of factors is causing the crisis, Cerel said help is just a call or text message away.
