I, Publius Jr, am a US Army Veteran and every time I go to the VA Hospital or VA Clinic there are plenty of cards one can take that advertises the Veterans Crisis Line, 1-800-273-8255 press 1.
I have to admit I’ve called it more than once. What about? A couple of different circumstances I couldn’t handle at the times I called. Veterans in a room get very quiet when someone mentions the S-word (suicide). You can hear a pin drop. I think it is because almost every Vet knows another Vet who tried or succeeded in committing suicide, or have contemplated it a few times. I know I have contemplated it. Writing these articles aren’t always rosy, nor do some party leaders like to read them and they’ll assail me and call me names, or like some Never Trumpers who are staff at the HQ, threaten me.
Really, if you need help, or a kind voice to talk to about a highly stressful, high anxiety situations, please call someone.
988 For Mental Health Crisis Lifeline
Starting July 16, 2022, a new number like the emergency number 911, will be available on all devices, and that number is 988. It is easier to remember than 11 numbers plus an extension. I have the other number programmed into my cell phone, and my internet device.
The timeline to get to this place where there is a designated 3 digit Crisis Lifeline is a lot longer than I had imagined. It goes back to 2001 when President George W Bush signed it into law. It isn’t until the Summer of 2020 when President Trump signs the authorization to make it into a 3 digit number to available on all phones by July 16, 2022.
Upon looking for information for this article at the SAMHSA website (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, I thought the messaging by the photos they have on the page are misleading, showing lesbians (on the timeline page). The website is not an aesthetically good feeling site. Also pairing up Substance Abuse with Mental Health is not a good recipe either. Perhaps that will change with more people complaining to the government.
The positive is that relaying information to people who need help won’t require a long phone number to remember.