A Closer Look: Who Answers the Suicide Hotline?

ST LOUIS – Last week was a rough week in the Riverbend – especially for first responders.

A lot of the events seeing coverage from Riverbender.com last week have some sort of relation to the importance of mental health. The Sunday before last, a 72-year-old Godfrey man is suspected to have leaped from the Clark Bridge. His body has yet to be found. The first responders responding to that call lost a member of their extended family Tuesday evening when a portion of a brick wall fell on firefighters – killing Captain Jacob Ringering of the Godfrey Fire Protection District. Grief counseling will be made available for his fellow firefighters at both Godfrey Fire Stations.

Also last week, Keaun Cook was transferred to a maximum security Department of Human Services (DHS) facility in Chester, Illinois. The young man was found unfit to stand trial for terrorism charges and is being sent there to attain wellness. His grandmother said he suffered a major break from reality after his mother died in front of him, and has spent time in isolation while in the Madison County Juvenile Justice System. By the time of his arrest, she said he was having a full schizophrenic episode.

So, while reporting on and reading about these incidents may have people thinking about aspects of mental health, from suicide to grief to how it applies in the criminal justice system, a lot of people wonder what can be done. Riverbender.com tries to include resources at the end of every story written about suicide – which has been a few this week. But, what do those resources mean? The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is included, but who is on the other end of those lines.

Riverbender.com found one of those people – an operator on the other end of a crisis line. They said they would speak to Riverbender under the condition of anonymity due to the nature of their job. They provided credentials to a reporter, however, and agreed to answer some questions about their work. What they said could save someone's life, especially if they are teetering on the edge of mental stability.

The first important thing to remember is to let go of the stigma of mental illness. About one in five adults experience mental illness, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness. That is a considerable amount of people, many of whom suffer in silence. Nearly 45,000 Americans died from suicide in 2016, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). That is more than the population of Alton dying every year by a completely preventable cause.

So when people are in crisis, who answers? This person, who will be called Sophie (it is not their real name, and we will not reveal their gender, but they will be referred to as “she” through the duration of the story), told Riverbender.com what happens when a person in crisis feels the need to reach out.

“If you call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, whoever answers will say 'Lifeline, this is ____,” Sophie said. “We have to go over limits of confidentiality, but whoever is reaching out can give as much information as they'd like. They can decline a name even. They have someone there to talk and support them 24/7.”

Sophie works on the St. Louis side of the river. She said there are several other resources in the area for people as well. She said Chestnut Healthcare System helps folks with low income. There are many other avenues in St. Louis as well. She said there are many psychiatric hospitals, adding none of them were like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.”

“We have a great crisis line system and supports that can provide a mobile outreach to get people linked to mental care services,” she said. “Here, we are Master's Level social workers and counselors. We are required to go though the course work for the respective degrees, plus six weeks onsite training. We keep up with ongoing training and continuing educations.”

At her facility, which mostly serves Eastern Missouri residents, Sophie said there are people there 24/7.

“We provide brief crisis stabilization over the phone as well as referrals for ongoing treatment services,” she said. “We want to be able to help provide immediate, barrier-free access to mental health help. It's hard enough reaching out for assistance, it's better when there are people on the line that want to help.”

As many as 1,000 calls a day come into her facility, but she said the majority of them are not crisis calls. She said people call for support during sad and difficult times.

“We have people who call us that are looking for mental health care services,” she said. “We have people who are actively in crisis and trying to take their own lives.

“And when someone is in immediate crisis, they are able to have someone non-judgmental in their corner,” she continued. “They have someone that is there for them and isn't directly impacted by the situation. Being able to provide in-moment support and help get them back to a level of stability.”

While the line is confidential, that confidence can be broken in extreme circumstances, like when harm is imminent to that person or another person and the operator cannot keep those people safe.

“This is always a completely confidential line,” she said. “The only way we break that confidence is if there was harm for yourself or someone else, and we couldn't keep the caller safe. If we can't come up with a safety plan, which is more effective for self-harm than 'no harm contracts,' the confidence may need to be broken, and in cases of abuse and neglect.

“Being able to have a safe place can change the world for some who don't have the support they need,” she said.

That National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be found at 1-800-273-8255. Someone can also text “HOME” to 741-741 to start a text-based conversation.

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