“9-8-8 is a vital resource to the community... It helped me. My kids have a mom. My husband has a wife. My mom has a daughter. You don't have to visit me in a cemetery. That wasn't the end of my story.”

- Ruth Naomi Escamilla, a Georgian with experience using Georgia’s crisis line and a Peer Support Specialist, from Year One Of 9-8-8: A Major Milestone in Changing Lives video

ATLANTA, July 14, 2023 – In the first 12 months of the yearslong 9-8-8 rollout, Georgia has emerged as a national leader in providing support for individuals experiencing mental health and substance use crises, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Since the launch of the Federal 988 Lifeline one year ago on July 16, 2022, nearly 5 million people across the country have reached out for support through calls, chats, and texts to the Lifeline.

Georgia and its partners at the Georgia Crisis and Access Line have successfully answered those calls for help—responding to those in need in less than 10 seconds on average, despite a 12 percent increase in demand since 9-8-8 went live last year.

During a recent Atlanta town hall meeting commemorating the first-year milestones of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, DBHDD Commissioner Kevin Tanner expressed confidence in the ongoing upward trajectory: "This upward trend in demand will continue as more Georgians become familiar with 9-8-8 through upcoming mass marketing campaigns.”

Georgia's 9-8-8 line is saving lives.

In a video released by DBHDD today, Ruth Naomi Escamilla describes how crisis counselors at GCAL helped her find her path to recovery. Escamilla survived a suicide attempt and lived with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety until a healthcare professional called the crisis line on her behalf.

“9-8-8 is... a vital resource to our community,” said Escamilla. “It helped me. My kids have a mom. My husband has a wife. My mom has a daughter. You don't have to visit me in a cemetery. That wasn't the end of my story.”

Georgia’s comprehensive crisis response system has been under development for more than 15 years and provides Georgians with someone to call, someone to respond, and a safe place to go for crisis care. 9-8-8 implementation team has provided its expertise to other states seeking to build similar crisis response models.

"Our employees and state partners are the reasons Georgia has taken the lead on 9-8-8,” said Tanner. “I am incredibly proud of the work I have witnessed firsthand and the heroic efforts of our team to answer the call for those in need."

The Department today affirmed its commitment to continue building capacity to meet the rising demand for mental health and substance use treatment services and raising awareness for the line.

DBHDD, with the support of state and federal partners, has invested nearly $56 million in the state’s crisis system in preparation for the rollout, hiring more counselors to take crisis calls, expanding Georgians’ access to mobile crisis response teams statewide, and short-term stabilization support in high-demand areas.

A national mass marketing campaign for the line will launch this fall, and later this year, DBHDD will launch several initiatives to increase awareness of the line. DBHDD’s efforts will target Georgians who are known to be at higher risk of suicide and groups who are deemed “priority populations” under the federal 9-8-8 law. 

Federal projections indicate that the federal marketing campaign will significantly impact demand—potentially doubling call volume in the first year.

"We expect more Georgians to learn about 9-8-8 over the next several months,” said Tanner. “As the commissioner of Georgia's behavioral health authority, it’s my job to ensure everyone who needs support knows where to find it, and ultimately, we're there to answer the call."

As part of the anniversary, Georgia launched a new data dashboard to increase public understanding of crisis needs across the state. The dashboard, hosted at 988ga.org, demonstrates trends in call volume, provides transparency on Georgia’s response to those calls, and gives Georgians a glimpse of the need for support across Georgia’s diverse communities.

Notably, in the last year, the data demonstrates that youth and rural Georgians have significantly benefited from the 9-8-8 rollout as they seek mental health and substance use crisis support at higher rates.

  • Consistently over the last 12 months, youth have comprised 10 percent of all known callers for crisis support in Georgia on average, and
  • Georgians from rural counties have reached out for support at generally higher rates than their urban counterparts, according to data reported by DBHDD.

According to SAMHSA's 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) State Estimates of Substance Use and Mental Disorders:

  • 8.5% of Georgia residents aged 18 or older experienced a major depressive episode in the past year.
  • 4.7% of Georgians 18 and older had serious thoughts of suicide.
  • 1.45% of Georgians 18 and older made suicide plans within the same time period.

ABOUT DBHDD

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and its network of community providers offer treatment and support services to help people with behavioral health challenges achieve recovery by focusing on their strengths. Through uniquely tailored support and services, we help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities attain independence and lead meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Reporter resources

Reporters and editors are encouraged to include the following language when reporting about suicide: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

To connect with an individual with lived experience using the crisis line, or to connect with DBHDD behavioral health crisis system leadership, please email [email protected].

Contact

Director, Office of Communications Camille Taylor

[email protected]