Healthier Together: New 988 Crisis Lifeline launches

For many, this holiday season is not the most wonderful time of the year. And for those dealing with mental health challenges, it can be a lonely, stressful time filled with anxiety and/or depression.

In this week's Healthier Together, we're focusing on resources at Crisis Connections and the newly launched 988 lifeline.

"The idea behind 988 is it makes it really easy and simple to remember and so just like 911 is very easy in an emergency to remember. The idea is that if you’re having an emotional crisis or you're concerned about someone, it's very easy to remember that 988 number, and one of the benefits of it is that its national so wherever you are in the United States you can dial 988 and be connected to a help line center immediately, said Michelle McDaniel the CEO of Crisis Connections.

The 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, officers 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.

"We aim to just act as a guiding light for people that call in on those situations, and you know what it comes down to mental health it can be really difficult to know what to do especially if you're having the worst day you’ve ever had in your life. And in that situation what we try to do is use our own expertise, we use our knowledge of local resources that kind of thing, and we use our knowledge of how to talk to somebody in crisis to give you peace of mind and once we’ve got you to a place where you're ready to think about your next steps, we try to provide those next steps if we can," said Carter, who is a 988 crisis specialist.

People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

For more information on Crisis Connections, click here.