Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City (Pope, Patel, Compton); School of Social Work, Wayne State University, Detroit (Watson).
Psychiatr Serv. 2024 Jul 1;75(7):646-651. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20230016. Epub 2024 Feb 27.
The 988 telephone number was implemented in July 2022 as an easily accessible way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and has been envisioned as one step in building a more robust crisis care continuum in the United States. This study aimed to describe how various stakeholders anticipated using 988 compared with the most widely known crisis line: 911.
Focus groups (N=15, with 76 total participants) were conducted in three counties in New York State between October and November 2021, before the launch of 988. Five stakeholder groups were included: mental health services consumers, family members of consumers, community members, mental health providers, and crisis call takers. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze all focus group transcripts.
Participants anticipated that key uses for 988 would be accessing support during a crisis, obtaining connections to local resources and services, and receiving alternatives to law enforcement response. However, participants continued to articulate uses for 911 during a mental health crisis, especially for situations involving "safety concerns."
The broad expectations for 988 suggest that the line must be flexible and responsive to a range of needs and that communities should clearly define what is available through 988. More implementation research is needed to ensure a detailed understanding of those whom 988 is serving, how the line meets callers' needs, and the line's potential for connecting people to needed services.
988 电话号码于 2022 年 7 月实施，作为一种方便拨打国家自杀预防生命线的方式，被视为在美国建立更强大危机护理连续体的一步。本研究旨在描述各种利益相关者预期如何使用 988，与最广为人知的危机热线 911 相比。
在 988 推出之前，于 2021 年 10 月至 11 月在纽约州的三个县进行了焦点小组（N=15，共有 76 名参与者）。包括五个利益相关者群体：心理健康服务消费者、消费者的家庭成员、社区成员、心理健康提供者和危机接听者。使用主题分析对所有焦点小组的转录进行编码和分析。
参与者预计 988 的主要用途将是在危机期间获得支持，获得与当地资源和服务的联系，并获得执法反应的替代方案。然而，参与者在心理健康危机期间仍继续表达对 911 的使用，特别是在涉及“安全问题”的情况下。
对 988 的广泛期望表明，该热线必须灵活且能够满足各种需求，并且社区应明确界定通过 988 提供的服务。需要更多的实施研究来确保详细了解 988 服务的人群、该热线如何满足来电者的需求以及该热线将人们与所需服务联系起来的潜力。
