It’s easier now for someone in a mental health crisis to dial for help. State officials expect that will mean an increased demand on call centers.
The state upgraded infrastructure so those call centers could handle more callers, said Dr. Debra Pinals, medical director for behavioral health for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“The other thing is these call centers are connected to a national network," she said. "Even though we want most calls to go to local Michigan responders and crisis counselors, in the event that they’re busy there is an interconnection with other crisis systems so there will be somebody to answer the phone.”
The press release said callers could be experiencing thoughts of suicide, substance abuse, or emotional distress.
"There could be any number of things that could qualify as what somebody might consider enough emotional distress to call a line to talk to somebody," she said. "It’s really up to the caller to decide."
Pinals said Michigan’s hotline dealt with 62,512 callers in 2021. So far, they’ve dealt with 32,068 calls and expect 63,000-68,000.