JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (WGEM) – While many people consider the winter holidays to be the time when mental health issues are at their highest, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that suicides in the United States increase during the summer.
According to CoreWell Health, several studies have found an association between hot weather and deaths by suicide. Missouri provides resources for people facing mental health issues throughout the year. The 988 hotline, which launched in 2022, is a centralized resource for Missourians to access help for any issue or simply find someone to talk to.
Data from the Missouri Department of Mental Health shows demand for mental health services is on the rise: 988 calls from May 2023 to May of this year, an increase of more than 2,000 calls per month.
Missouri’s 988 providers answer most calls. According to Department of Mental Health data, 94 percent of Missourians’ 988 calls are answered within the state, and calls are typically answered within 17 seconds. Calls that aren’t answered within the state are forwarded to the national hotline.
Christy Morton’s son, Hunter, committed suicide in 2022.
“What I miss most is the love he had for everybody. You could tell when he hugged somebody,” Morton said. “He told all his friends that. After he passed away, they came up to us and said he was their publicist.”
Since Hunter’s death, Morton has dedicated her time to making sure other parents don’t go through the same pain she did. She founded You Matter Archie to bring love to children and teens in her small rural community and show them that someone is always there for them.
“I reached out to the moms here in the community and said, ‘I think we need to do something,’ and they said, ‘OK, what can we do?'” Morton said.
Morton is a big fan of the 988 hotline and called it himself when it was first set up to find out how it could help.
“I called myself and said, ‘Right, let’s give it a go and see what it says,'” Mr Morton said. “I was on the phone with a lady for 45 minutes and she explained to me step by step what would happen if someone called 988, which I thought was fantastic as a parent.”
The state will continue to fund the 988 hotline, with more than $3 million allocated in the fiscal year 2025 budget for crisis response teams and equipment.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health please call 988.
Copyright 2024 WGEM. All rights reserved.
