Abstract
North Carolina has seen a 22% increase in calls to its mental health hotline year‐to‐year, according to data released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, WRAL News reported Nov. 7. On July 16, 2022, North Carolina launched its 988 mental health hotline. The 988 number replaced a longer 1‐800 number tied to the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Renee Rader, an assistant director for policy and programs for the North Carolina's Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, said the state increased staffing to account for the new number launch. “Obviously, the biggest thing is the pandemic that just happened,” North Carolina State student Emma Scardina said, WRAL News reported. “That definitely isolated a lot of students and broke down the community that they had.” According to state leaders, people ages 20‐24 are the most likely to take their own lives. In August 2022, the new 988 hotline received an average of 160 calls a day with nearly 2,000 first‐time callers. Counselors contacted police 10 times. In 33 situations, dispatchers sent a mobile crisis unit. “It's raising more alarms for us,” said Rader. “We are putting more efforts into suicide prevention.”
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