Actions

Mental health helplines reporting more calls

Posted at 6:59 AM, Jun 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-19 07:59:10-04

A recent study from the University of Chicago shows Americans are unhappier than they've been in the last 50 years.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and recent protests across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, some of the country's mental health hotlines are reporting more calls.

Those hotline numbers are 10-digits long and can be hard to remember.

So Becky Stoll, of Centerstone Behavioral Services, worries some individuals might be struggling to get the help they need.

"The road to mental health services is paved in Swiss Cheese," she said to E.W. Scripps National Correspondent Maya Rodriguez. "If you don't know how to get yourself around some of those holes, it's tough."

One easy to remember option that can help: the national, suicide prevention hotline at 9-8-8.

There's a push in Washington to turn the number into a permanent crisis helpline.

A letter signed by a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers calls for any future, coronavirus-related stimulus bill to include more funding for 9-8-8.

Congress could take up such a bill later this summer.

In the meantime, there are several local resources available for the people of Milwaukee. To see those, click here.

You can also dial 2-1-1 locally to be connected with someone who can lead you to proper, crisis-management and/or mental health help.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip