In the Seattle area, the 988 mental health hotline supports tens of thousands in crisis

On Justin’s 18th wedding anniversary, his wife told him she didn’t love him – and maybe never had.

Justin said: “I felt a lot of pressure. “The world was spinning around me, and I remembered there was this 988 number I could call.”

KUOW agreed not to use Justin’s last name to protect his privacy.

Justin said he wasn’t thinking about harming himself; he was scared. He was connected to someone right away and talked to them for about 10 minutes.

He said: “It was really good to be able to talk to someone right away who could listen and encourage me.

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A national 988 mental health hotline was announced in 2022. It replaces the old suicide hotline, a lengthy 1-800 number that was difficult to remember. And 988 isn’t just for people thinking about harming themselves – it’s for people with any mental health issues or depression. You can also call the number if you see someone – a loved one or a stranger – who appears to be in health trouble.

Like 911, people get help right away – but from a trained crisis counselor instead of law enforcement or paramedics. So far, nearly 100,000 people have called or texted 988 from Puget Sound area codes.

When Justin called 988, “The person was calm,” he said. They were very helpful because they were only available, he added. I was able to find someone to talk to who made me feel like I was closed.

They talked about next steps, and Justin said he planned to see a doctor.

988 in King County now fields about 40,000 calls a year, and about 15,000 text conversations. That is growing rapidly every year, as more and more people are learning about the mobile phone.

Anna Livingston is one of the people who can answer the phone if you call 988 from the 206 area code.

I just say, ‘This is 988,’ and I give my name, and I say, ‘I need to ask a safety question now,’” Livingston said. “Then I – it depends on the phone. Some people are crazy. Some people are upset, like crying. ”

Livingston says he is able to deal with vulnerable people because he has had many problems in his life. He was once addicted to heroin, and he was struggling to take care of his daughters.

More than half of the people who call 988 are thinking about harming themselves, Livingston said.

RELATED: The new 988 hotline is the ‘front door’ to help. But what’s next for Washingtonians in need?

“Mostly it’s, ‘Okay, let’s take a break.’ Let’s go outside. What do your feet touch? How would you feel?’” Livingston said. And we often try to clarify: What is the most important thing we need to talk about?

For most callers, the crisis is greatly reduced at the end of the line, and they do not need anything from 988.

“People just want to be heard,” Livingston said.

If necessary, 988 in King County has the ability to dispatch a mobile emergency team. And if the operator is concerned about the caller’s safety, he or she will ask if he or she can connect the caller to 911.

988 is a big improvement over 911 for people who don’t trust the police and don’t want them involved in their mental health problems, said Anna Nepomuceno, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

However, he said, “There needs to be more education when it comes to 988, because many people still don’t know what will happen if they call.”

“A lot of young people of color don’t feel comfortable calling 988 because they’re afraid law enforcement will show up,” he added.

Only in rare cases — less than 1% of all calls — does 988 call 911 on behalf of the caller, without their permission, said Michelle McDaniel, CEO of Crisis Connections, which runs 988 in King County.

Available data suggests that Black residents of King County are more likely to call 988 than white residents, but Nepomuceno said there is still more work to be done.

“To build trust, there needs to be more confidence that when someone calls, they get a therapeutic response and not an official response,” Nepomuceno said.

McDaniel said Crisis Connections works to build that trust.

In the near future, there will be additional call centers funded by the King County health tax, so they will have more options in how to respond to calls.