What is 988? And is it safe to call? What to know about the new mental health hotline

Life Kit

NPR

Education, Kids & Family, Self-improvement, Business, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2022

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched in July, some advocates and people who had experiences with the mental health system voiced concerns about 988. Life Kit talks to Aneri Patani, national health correspondent with Kaiser Health News, about how the hotline works, its purpose and the potential risks of calling 988.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Quick heads up, this episode discusses suicide.
0:05.7	This is NPR's life kit.
0:07.9	And if you're listening to this podcast
0:09.9	because you or someone you know
0:11.6	is dealing with a mental health crisis,
0:14.6	you are not alone.
0:17.6	Mental health struggles can feel extremely isolating,
0:21.2	but millions of people all over the world
0:23.5	are affected by mental illness every year, every day.
0:27.1	According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness,
0:30.4	every year one in five American adults
0:33.5	experiences mental illness,
0:35.1	and one in 20 experiences serious mental illness.
0:38.9	In 2020, there was an estimated 1.2 million
0:43.1	suicide attempts in this country.
0:44.9	As of 2022, suicide is the 12 leading cause of death
0:48.7	in the US.
0:49.7	Mental health is a public health issue.
0:53.0	Everyone can play a role in suicide prevention
0:56.0	and help is out there.
0:59.5	That's the message of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
1:05.9	Modelled after 911, this new three-digit hotline
	...

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