National three-digit suicide and mental health crisis hotline 988 begins July 16

Iowans experiencing a mental health crisis will soon have a faster way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

On July 16, Iowa will join states across the country rolling out a three-digit number — 988 — that people can call or text to reach a trained counselor who can help them deal with suicidal thoughts and mental health crises.

The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 received approval from Congress after advocates pushed to shorten the suicide prevention line's 10-digit number.

One advocacy organization that pushed for the three-digit crisis number is NAMI Iowa, the state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"Our national CEO Dan Gillison describes this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve crisis response, and I really believe that's true," said Peggy Huppert, executive director of NAMI Iowa. "And the main reason for that is being able to call a three-digit number where you're going to get someone who is trained to respond to a behavioral health crisis is really the game changer."

When a person calls 911 during a mental health emergency, dispatchers send police, firefighters or emergency medical technicians — none of whom are counselors trained for mental health crises, Huppert said.

She said establishing 988 as the number to call benefits both those in crisis, who will have access to trained counselors, and the emergency responders, who will have more time and resources for other needs.

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"What we know is that by doing that, the people responding to those phone calls and texts are able to resolve 90% of calls or texts virtually, and that's huge," Huppert said. "So you're avoiding sending out law enforcement or fire or EMT and then are able to handle it. ... And if we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity, then we have to make the most of it."

Growing mental health needs during COVID pandemic helped speed change

Though discussion of a three-digit crisis number had been going on for years, Huppert said, the COVID-19 pandemic provided the impetus to make the change.

"So many people struggled with mental health challenges who never had before, and it made it more acceptable for people to disclose that they were struggling and to ask for help," Huppert said. "And help was harder to get, because the health care system itself was struggling with just being able to meet the needs and physical demands that were obviously pretty overwhelming related to pandemic."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder since the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, up from 1 in 10 adults who reported such symptoms from January to June 2019.

Answering calls to the 988 hotline in Iowa will be Iowa's two current contractors for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Foundation 2 Crisis Services of Cedar Rapids and CommUnity Crisis Services of Iowa City.

Iowa has its own statewide mental health crisis number, leaving the state better equipped to handle the transition to 988 than many other states, Huppert said.

"I think unfortunately in some parts of the country you are going to see states struggle," she said. "Now, like the National Suicide Prevention hotline, 988 calls will be answered. It might not be by someone in your state, if that state has not geared up sufficiently. There are, of course, designated different call centers to be rollover, excess capacity places, so your call will get answered."

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With about 98% of crises either resolved on the phone or by sending a trained professional to the caller's location, just 2% of callers need to be transported to a different location to receive help, she said.

"Just getting it down to that number of people who are not automatically getting hauled off to jail or to the emergency room as a matter of course is big," she said. "So the 2% that needs to go somewhere, that's another really important part of it ... do we have enough places in our state where someone can be taken who needs crisis care? And I think the answer pretty clearly right now is we do not."

Ability to text 988 expected to aid in reaching younger people

The ability to text 988 is another advantage, making it more accessible to younger people who feel less comfortable making in-person calls, Huppert said.

According to a CDC survey conducted in 2021, 37% of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported persistently feeling sad or hopeless during the past year.

Huppert said Polk County saw a spike in child suicides in January, with victims as young as 10.

"Seeing younger and younger children, especially females, taking their own lives is obviously a very disturbing trend," she said.

Iowa made way for the 988 number by converting to 10-digit dialing in the 515 and 319 area codes last fall. Dialing the area code and number avoids misrouted calls for  customers who had local phone numbers that began with 988.

The 988 hotline will provide easily accessible crisis support — but there are ways to be proactive about mental health before a crisis happens. Huppert encourages everyone to keep an eye on friends and family, especially children, and reach out if their behavior or mood seems off.

From April 2022: After 5 youth suicides in 2 months in Polk County, experts seek ways to prevent more tragedies

"It's incumbent on us to ask, you know, 'Are you doing OK? Because I'm concerned,' to look out for each other," Huppert said. "Because sometimes that can be the difference in whether someone ends up asking for help and getting it or not. I tell people if you're acting out of care and concern, you're never going to go wrong."

The 988 hotline will go into effect nationwide July 16. If you or someone you know needs mental health crisis support now, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Your Life Iowa statewide crisis line at 855-581-8111.

Grace Altenhofen is a staff writerr for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New 988 suicide and mental health crisis line set to go live in Iowa