Mental health hotline offers support during the holidays

By Kirsten Stokes

The holidays can be difficult for anyone, but for those already struggling with mental health issues, the stresses of the season can become too much.

When that happens, a phone can be a lifeline. That’s the goal of the 988 hotline, which was launched nationally in 2022 to be the mental health equivalent of 911.

Kris Hannon, co-director of the Family Guidance Center said while many callers in the past were acutely suicidal and a danger to themselves or others, today callers often seek support during periods of sadness, desiring someone to talk with to cope with feelings of being overwhelmed.

“There is a lot of movement among the younger generations about mental health,” Hannon said. “We don’t have a lot of people 50 and over calling 988. We see a lot of younger people, you know, 30 and under, calling 988 a lot.”

With more than 70,000 calls made in the state of Missouri this year, the three-digit hotline connects users to a network of about 200 local- and state-funded crisis call centers. In Northwest Missouri, 988 calls are transferred to Commcare in Kansas City.

“If the clinician on the other end of the phone, Commcare, cannot resolve the call adequately, then they disperse that to the appropriate mental health center,” Hannon said. “In the counties in Northwest Missouri, Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Clinton, DeKalb, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth, those calls come to Family Guidance Center.”

The average speed to answer a call is 16 seconds. At that time, a caller will hear a short message allowing the user to choose the language and type of counselor they need. Services are available 24/7, 365 days a year at no cost to the caller.

“Being a nationwide number is an extension of the investment that we’re making in the mental health of our communities,” Hannon said. “So, I think it’s very encouraging to see that change that people are not waiting until they’re in a crisis to access behavioral health care.”