988 NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE (USA)

[Kemma]

(In the USA) 988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, beginning today.

When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

The current Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, even after 988 is launched nationally.

http://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/

[Kimba~]

And if the call doesn't go well, police and emts show up at your door, no?

[Kemma]

If you want to know an organization's policy, you should contact the organization.

[Kimba~]

That is their policy. After it happened to me, I had verified it. I think people should know that before they call. If you call that number, you might wind up involuntarily committed.

[Kemma]

Anytime someone reaches out for mental health help, there is the risk of involuntary hospitalization. It doesn't matter if it's this organization, PD, psychiatrist, PCP, Pastor, 911, friend etc., If a person presents in crisis, their safety risk is being analyzed, whether the person realizes it or not.

[Kimba~]

Some people feel that fear of involuntary-commitment causes suicides by disincentiving people from calling hotlines. Therefore, many groups have set up anonymous hotlines. In Colorado, it is a statewide organization that provides this alternative to calling 988: https://coloradocrisisservices.org/faq/?category=0&id=what-can

I encourage anyone who wants to talk anonymously to find their local alternative, or use ours.

[Taryn]

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. The Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, combining custom local care and resources with national standards and best practices.

We take privacy very seriously here, as it's a law that we have to follow called PRIVACY ACT! This is a completely new set up, this is something we have been working on for over 2 decades, with the up to date privacy laws and acts. Nothing you send us nor call into us will be saved, if you contact us via an email or on the web itself, nothing is saved. If you would like to know more information about this, the link is here:

https://988lifeline.org/about/

For the website:

https://988lifeline.org/

So I ask anyone of you to not speak about something that is new, perhaps what they did several years ago has since changed, we want a safe environment for all and if that means you want to hurt yourself, then all we can do is try to talk you through why you are feeling this, as we can not stop you. Please read through the links that I have offered, mayhaps it will shed some light on what we do and who we are.