Will 988 Be a Joke in Your Town?
A call for less public health virtue signaling and more serious conversations about the gaping hole in helpful emergency responses to behavioral health crises
The recent unveiling of the 988 mental health crisis support number has received nearly endless praise across our newsfeeds the past few days. Don’t get us wrong- we don’t like to dial 10 numbers on our phones either but how does this actually move the needle on mental health services in the United States? Spoiler alert: It doesn’t- at least not right now. Case in point: We could have said “It does not” but we saved some time there by using a contraction! Aren’t you impressed? Despite grand proclamations that July 16th is a “historic moment for crisis care and suicide prevention,” 988 is simply a shorter way to reach the pre-existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline which could otherwise be dialed with 1-800-273-TALK. That’s literally it.