A new hotline number is launching to help stem the growing suicide crisis, in Montana and across the United States.

Starting Saturday, people facing a mental health crisis can call 988, a simplification of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ten-digit number.

John Tabb, suicide prevention program manager for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, said 988 is an easily remembered number, which will connect people to trained crisis workers at any time, day or night. He noted they stabilize individuals over the phone 80% of the time.

"In a state like Montana, where we're resource constrained because of our rural communities and distances, that's an incredibly powerful thing," Tabb asserted. "Anyone in the state can call and in all likelihood, they're going to be able to be stabilized by one of these crisis callers."

The suicide crisis is particularly acute in Montana. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent data from 2020, the state ranked third in suicide deaths per capita.

The launch of 988 in Montana involves coordination with three lifeline call centers: Voices of Hope in the eastern part of the state, Help Center 211 in the southwest, and the Western Montana Mental Health Center in the northwest.

The 988 program is designed as a mental health complement to 911. Tabb pointed out people in a mental health crisis who call 911 get a law enforcement response, which often isn't ideal for their situation.

"988 really is kind of the first step in getting a response system that allows them to be placed in contact with providers rather than law enforcement, when it's appropriate," Tabb noted.

Tabb added more services are needed to address the country's mental health crisis, but believes the launch of the 988 number is a step in the right direction.

"It's not going to cure the problem overnight," Tabb acknowledged. "It's going to help. The people here that are in the mental health and crisis management field; it can be tough. It can be tough to do that work. And so, when you can have something really positive and large, and visible to people, it gets them really excited."

Indiana families are preparing kids for back-to-school season, and mental-health experts say emotional readiness is just as important as school supplies.

Beth Trammell, a psychologist and professor at Indiana University East, said kids often carry anxiety into the new school year. She encouraged parents to help children identify those fears.

"We as parents or caregivers think, 'Don't worry, or don't stress.' Instead, we might want to say, 'OK, well, let's talk about what it is you're worried about. What is the worst thing you think could happen?' If we draw it out of them," she said, "it may give them space to kind of let that out."

Helping kids feel heard can reduce stress. But experts also urge balance, keeping mornings calm, easing into routines, and not overloading schedules the first few weeks.

Nicole Brady, chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare, said mental-health support should remain a priority throughout the year.

"Though we want our kids to be involved in activities and be social," she said, "we have to watch their academic performance, their mood, those sleep patterns, and making sure that those are staying healthy."

Brady added that parents should talk regularly with kids, model healthy coping and seek help early if warning signs appear.


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After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the Billings area to build the state's second forensic facility.

For people involved in Montana's justice system whom a judge has deemed not mentally fit for their own defense, there are 53 beds in the state's only forensic facility in Galen. The daily waitlist hovers at about 100 people.

Matt Kuntz, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Montana, said it is not meeting the immense need.

"It's just a really bad situation for the people that are in the jails, for the people that are caring for them, for the taxpayers," Kuntz outlined. "It just doesn't work for anybody."

At a recent commission meeting, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the state is identifying a location for a new facility. The department received nearly $27 million from the state in April to fund project planning.

Kuntz noted the Montana Legislature passed many bills this session centered on mental health care.

"We really were able to get big wins in access to outpatient care, access to crisis care and for people in need of forensic hospital," Kuntz explained. "Overall, it was really an amazing legislative session for Montanans with mental health conditions."

Other mental health legislation will boost school-based services, youth in residential care, the state's 988 crisis line and certified community behavioral health clinics.


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The California Parent and Youth Helpline is in serious jeopardy after Gov. Gavin Newsom cut it from the new state budget, saying the money was needed to support medical services.

Advocates said they are puzzled because the governor has championed the helpline for years, and lawmakers approved $3 million from a separate fund dedicated to mental health, which does not affect the deficit.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of the nonprofit Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said it is still operating 24/7, for now.

"We're holding on for the next month or so," Pion-Berlin pointed out. "But we need the state to step up, or one of these well-off philanthropists who cares about having that immediate help for emotional support, which is so vital."

Advocates are hoping funding can be restored via a budget trailer bill in the next few weeks. People can call or text and reach the helpline's trained counselors at 877-427-2736. The free helpline has connected with more than 120,000 people since its inception five years ago, and the website CAParentYouthHelpline.org has reached a million more.

Pion-Berlin noted a study in the Journal of Technology in Human Services found a call to the helpline can quickly ease parents' suffering and feelings of isolation.

"The research said that 85% of the callers in less than 30 minutes feel more positive, more hopeful and able to address their issues," Pion-Berlin reported. "There is no other service or pill I know that can do that in 30 minutes or less."

Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups to steer parents and kids through emotional crises of all kinds.