On July 16, the federal government transitioned the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to an easy-to-remember three-digit number. 988 is a resource that anyone can call, text or chat for mental health support. Crisis counselors are trained to address a range of mental health emergencies from depression and anxiety, to suicide ideation and substance use disorders.

What actually happens when someone dials 988? How is the Lifeline serving as a tool to improve mental health emergency response? And is there a path between mental health emergencies and recovery?

MPR News shares “988: A Call for Crisis Care,” a broadcast special from Call to Mind that explores the state of mental health crisis response, and asks how crisis care can be improved.

It’s hosted by Kimberly Adams, a host and senior correspondent for APM’s Marketplace who covers mental health, politics, business and the economy for American Public Media from Washington DC.

Also, Join MPR News with Angela Davis the week of Sept. 12 as we continue the conversation about 988 and emergency mental health services. We'll talk more about local services, and hear your stories.

Guests:

• Danielle Belton is editor-in-chief of HuffPost.




• Emmy Betz, MD, MPH is professor of emergency medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.




• Christine Crawford, MD, MPH associate medical director of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.




• Arthur Evans Jr., PhD is a clinical and community psychologist and CEO & executive vice president of the American Psychological Association

Call to Mind’s next special, “Searching for Providers of Color,” is in production right now and will be out to public radio stations in October. The program will look at the mental health treatment field and explore how important it is to find a provider that can identify with a person’s race, culture and experiences. If you are a BIPOC person who has had a good or bad experience looking for a mental health care provider, Call to Mind would like to hear from you! Send an email about your experience to [email protected]. A producer from Call to Mind may contact you in the following weeks.   

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