If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or dial/text 988 starting Saturday. In emergency situations, call 911. Additional resources can be found here.
Starting on Saturday, anyone in the United States experiencing emotional distress can text or call one three-digit number to get help. The new number is 988.
It will send callers in the state to the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline which already offers a 24-hour service.
Lee Flinn, the director of the Hotline, said 988 will be easier to remember than the existing 10-digit numbers. The emergency contact is meant to raise awareness and let people know that there are options and prevention services available.
"Every Idahoan, no matter where they live in our state knows that if they are struggling and feeling emotional distress or struggling with substance use or suicidal feelings can call 988 and they will reach one of our crisis responders at Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline," Flinn said
The current numbers in Idaho will continue to work and send callers to the same hotline. Each year, the Idaho hotline responds to calls from every county in Idaho, with children as young as seven reaching out for help.
If you know someone who appears to be struggling, Flinn says it’s important to ask directly if they have suicidal thoughts.
"If a person is concerned about somebody near them, a friend, a family member, if they seem like they're not quite themselves," Flinn said. "We really encourage people to trust their gut."
Making sure they have someone to talk to and limited access to things like guns, medication or other lethal substances is equally important.
According to the suicide awareness organization SAVE, in 2020 Idaho ranked 5th nationally for suicide rates, with almost 23 deaths per 100 thousand people. The national average is 14 per 100 thousand.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
Isolation, housing instability, financial stress, childhood abuse and stigma all contribute to mental health struggles. In general, older adults, men and LGBTQ+ individuals are at the highest risk.
"We have a lot of work to do in Idaho," Flinn added. "But we're definitely heading in the right direction."
The state has one of the lowest mental health budgets in the nation.
