May’s Mental Health Awareness Month is another touchstone to help remind our community about the resources available to them and their loved ones here in our hometown. Chief among these is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Behind each call, text, and chat is a real person. I know this because I lead HopeLink, a regional mental health nonprofit that operates the 988 service for Northern Virginia. We have been connected to this community as a provider of behavioral health services since 1963. Our crisis workers are trained in active listening, safety assessment, crisis de-escalation, and to collaborate with callers, texters and chatters to reduce distress and, when appropriate, to connect individuals to appropriate local services.
These dedicated crisis workers answered nearly 400,000 calls, chats and texts last year from individuals that were facing a life crisis. HopeLink’s workers are the empathetic voice that listens, providing help, hope and comfort.
As one of our workers explained, “I have spoken to hundreds of callers. While no two calls are exactly alike, I find callers asking the same question again and again: ‘Will I be okay?’ What I can tell them is yes, one day, they will be okay, and this call is one step closer to breathing a sigh of relief. Together, we sit in that uncertainty and that pain, until they are empowered to seek longer-term support and explore what life might look like around the corner. When a caller tells me that they see a way forward, that’s when I know I’ve made a difference.”
Nationally more than 59 million people experience mental illness and nearly 46% of Americans are expected to meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition in their life, according to Mental Health America. That’s why May’s Mental Health Awareness Month is important.
While we shine a light on mental health this May; there are ways each of us can help. It’s important to know the signs and ways that you can make a difference. This list provides ways to be part of the solution to change and even save lives:
- Listen: Listen for signs of distress from loved ones or friends such as talking about wanting to die, ending their life, having no reason to live, being trapped, or being a burden to others.
- Ask: Ask the tough question. When somebody you know is in emotional pain, ask them directly: "Are you thinking about killing yourself?"
- Connect: Help connect people to resources. For an immediate crisis, encourage them to call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Or visit HopeLineBH.org or your county’s local community services board for more resources.
- Donate: Support local and national mental health nonprofits that are working to save and change lives. It matters and works.
- Advocate: Being a voice with local, state, and federal government ensures that mental health is front and center and that funding for mental health programs exists. Write letters/emails to officials in support of mental health funding and legislation.
Much progress has been made in mental health services, but tough times can exacerbate the need. This May, I hope you will join us and Connection Newspapers to make mental health a priority for you, your loved ones, and the community. Tap into the local resources that are available. Learn more tips on our website at HopeLinkBH.org.