If you find yourself grappling with feelings of anxiety, irritability or depression amid scorching and unrelenting heat, you’re not alone. Sweltering heat can destabilize mood, exacerbate existing mental health conditions and complicate psychiatric drug treatment. Elevated temperatures have also been linked to surges in suicide rates. Finding ways to stay cool can be a good starting point to help reduce the impact of periods of intense heat on your mental health.

Tips for Coping with Extreme Heat

Below are simple yet powerful ways to help you and others manage extreme heat and stay mentally well during periods of extreme heat.

• Stay hydrated—Adequate hydration, including restoring electrolytes, is vital for maintaining mental and physical wellbeing during heat waves. Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are key electrolytes, or charged minerals. They help balance fluids, nerve-muscle functioning and hydration. Keeping them balanced is key for your overall health and bodily functions.
• Manage medications—If you take medications, consult with your provider before combining your dose with excessive heat. Some mental health medications, like lithium for bipolar patients, might not be suitable for high temperatures. Since lithium affects the kidneys and sweating can alter its levels, it’s crucial to exercise caution when exposed to heat. Adjusting the dosage or avoiding heat altogether might be necessary to ensure your wellbeing and medication effectiveness.
• Cover your head—Wearing a hat, cap or other head covering can prevent heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke by helping you maintain a cooler body temperature. It can also reduce sweating which decreases the likelihood of excessive fluid loss and dehydration.
• Wet your head— Pouring water on your head offers immediate relief by absorbing heat and evaporating and cooling your skin. This helps regulate body temperature and prevent overheating. The sudden coolness also improves alertness and cognitive function in hot conditions.
• Seek shade—Exposure to direct sunlight, especially during peak heat hours, also increases the risk of heat-related illnesses. Seeking shade reduces these risks and can help you maintain a comfortable body temperature.
• Stay cool—Embracing cooling strategies like taking cold showers, using fans or placing cold compresses on pulse points helps regulate your body temperature, prevent heat-related issues and promote positive mental health despite challenging weather.
• Exercise inside—If you normally go for walks outside, move them inside a mall or other large space with air conditioning. This change protects you from the heat and offers a controlled space for physical activity, improving your mental wellbeing and keeping you cool and comfortable. If this isn’t possible, change your exercise routine to exercise in the early morning or late evening to avoid the midday heat.
• Practice mindfulness—Engaging in mindfulness exercises like deep breathing and meditation can help you manage heat-related stress and anxiety. These practices not only promote mental clarity and emotional balance but also help in reducing the psychological impact of extreme heat, allowing you to navigate through challenging conditions with a sense of calm and resilience.
• Check-in—Regularly reach out to vulnerable family members, neighbors or friends, offering support and assistance as needed. This act of care can strengthen bonds and provide a sense of purpose and connection, benefiting both your mental wellbeing and the wellbeing of those you care about.
• Visit Heat.gov—With proper planning, education and action, many of the impacts of extreme heat can be prevented or reduced. Heat.gov provides valuable guidance, including information, tools and resources to help you stay safe before, during and after a heat wave and understand the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable populations.

Remember, staying proactive and well-prepared is key to maintaining your mental health during periods of extreme heat.

For more mental health resources, visit MagellanHealthare.com/bh-resources.

Sources:

• Excessive heat and its impact on mental health | BCM
• Heat Health Awareness: Why it’s Important for Persons with Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health Conditions, Caregivers and Health Care Providers
• Heat Singes the Mind, Not Just the Body
• Psychiatry.org – Extreme Heat Can Take a Toll on Mental Health
• Understanding effects of heat on mental health – Mayo Clinic News Network

Retirement is often seen as a time to relax, enjoy hobbies and spend time with loved ones. However, for many older adults, it can also be a time of loneliness and isolation. According to a study by the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, 34% of older adults felt a lack of companionship and 27% felt isolated from others during the past year.

Chronic loneliness can have detrimental effects on older adults’ physical wellbeing, mental health and life expectancy. It can even shorten life expectancy more than being overweight or sedentary, and as much as smoking. Older adults may also feel lonely as a result of health problems. For example, an older adult who has hearing loss or mobility concerns may find it difficult to interact with others socially.

Having meaningful social connections and frequent interactions may help alleviate loneliness. The seven tips below can help older adults stay connected and engaged during retirement.

• Staying connected with family and friends—Family and friends are an essential source of support and social interaction. Older adults should try to stay connected with loved ones, whether through phone calls, video chats or in-person visits. Planning regular activities or outings with family and friends can help keep relationships strong and prevent feelings of loneliness.
• Engaging with religious groups—Religious communities often offer a supportive and inclusive environment where older adults can connect with individuals who share similar values and beliefs. Many religious groups also attract people from different age groups, creating opportunities for intergenerational connections, mentorship and the sharing of wisdom and experiences.
• Joining a community group or club—Whether it’s a book club, gardening group or volunteering organization, becoming a part of a community group or club with similar interests is a great way for older adults to connect with others and build relationships while pursuing interests.
• Learning something new—Retirement provides more time to explore new hobbies and interests. Taking a class, attending a workshop or joining a discussion group are fun ways for older adults to learn something new and pass the time, and a great way to meet new people.
• Volunteering—There are many opportunities for older adults to volunteer, whether it’s at a local food bank, hospital or animal shelter. Volunteering can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment. And it’s a great way for older adults to give back to the community while building social connections.
• Joining a home visiting program—These programs connect older adults with compassionate volunteers who provide regular companionship, meaningful conversations and support. By welcoming friendly faces into their homes, older adults can alleviate isolation, foster new friendships and create a fulfilling support network.
• Embracing technology—Technology provides many opportunities for social connection and interaction. Older adults can use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and NextDoor to stay in touch with family and friends, as well as online communities like Meetup to find groups and events based on interests.

When loneliness becomes too much

If feelings of loneliness persist and begin to impact older adults’ overall wellbeing, seeking professional help may be necessary. Mental health professionals can provide older adults support and guidance on coping strategies and techniques for managing loneliness.

Retirement can be a fulfilling and enjoyable time for older adults, but it can also come with feelings of loneliness and isolation. Utilizing these tips can help older adults stay connected, engaged and maintain good mental health during this new phase of life.

Magellan Healthcare Older Adult Assistance

At Magellan, we understand the unique challenges older adults may face during retirement. That’s why we offer our Older Adult Assistance program. This program is designed to provide older adults the relationships and resources they need to thrive during retirement. Visit here to learn more about our Older Adult Assistance program.

Source:

• Loneliness and Health | National Poll on Healthy Aging (healthaging.poll.org)

Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) are at risk of experiencing trauma due to mental and emotional injury from a variety of causes.

If you have experienced such trauma, you may find that your relationships are impacted. Consider these strategies to protect and manage your closest relationships and all that are important to you.

Recognize triggers

We can be triggered by and experience racism.

The impacts can go beyond our own emotional pain and psychological distress to affect our relationships. When we feel triggered, it’s important to:

• Identify your emotions—Are we feeling surprise, fear, sadness, disgust, anger? It can be helpful to name to our emotions so we can use our knowledge about how to deal with them and seek help if necessary.
• Recognize the validity of your emotions—We are right to feel the way we do, and we don’t need to waste our energy questioning that. It’s important to take the time to understand how we are feeling.
• Manage your emotions—When we know what we are feeling, we are in a better place to be in control of how to approach and react to people and situations. This can have beneficial impacts for our relationships.

Set boundaries

With family members and friends, co-workers and even strangers, we must feel safe to be ourselves and feel respected. Setting and sticking to personal boundaries can help. Here’s how you can do it:

• Prioritize needs—Take the time to think through where you stand, what you can and cannot tolerate, and what makes you feel happy or uncomfortable.
• Anticipate resistance—Expect that others may not easily understand your boundaries, especially if they have different backgrounds or personalities.
• Communicate boundaries—Clearly and directly let others know of your boundaries and reiterate them if you feel they are being overstepped.
• Distance yourself if necessary—If you feel disrespected or have your boundaries crossed repeatedly, it may be time to cut off further interactions to protect your emotional wellbeing.

Practice self-care

We are our own best advocates. It is vitally important that we take time to do the things that make us happy, keep us healthy and give us an outlet from negativity. Not only will our wellbeing improve, but our relationships will also benefit. Try these:

• Try a delicious new recipe—Taking time to enjoy cooking or baking can be relaxing and fruitful when it’s time to eat!
• Enjoy quiet time to rest or nap—Sometimes it can be hard to take a break. Take the opportunities as they arise and enjoy every moment!
• Catch up for a visit or phone call with a loved one—Connecting with others can increase your sense of safety, belonging and security.
• Read a book or start a hobby—Keep your mind active and engaged in activities that bring you joy.
• Volunteer—Giving of yourself to help others can improve your confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction.
• Get outside for fresh air and exercise—Sunshine and nature have been proven to boost mood.

Additional emotional support resources

For more on BIPOC mental health, visit our website for July BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, MagellanHealthcare.com/BIPOC-MH, and be sure to check out the BIPOC mental health tip sheets and awareness campaign toolkit.

You can also check out a recording from our webinar, “BIPOC mental health and relationships.”

On May 17^th, we celebrate National Employee Health and Fitness Day! By sharing tips on how to stay active even during busy workdays, National Employee Health and Fitness Day is a day to raise awareness of the health benefits of physical activity and remind employees about the necessity and advantages of regular physical activity. Physical activity provides a much-needed break from the stress of everyday tasks and duties and gives us energy, boosts mental ability, and prevents fatigue throughout the rest of the day. Magellan Health’s Evergrace Davis, associate information security compliance analysist, is also an AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor. In 2020, Davis launched “KeepItMovin with Grace,” a workout program that provides individuals of all ages and fitness levels with fitness classes and step challenges. Davis began her fitness journey over 12 years ago as a workout class instructor and lives by the motto, “keep it moving” with the goal of living life to the fullest. Continue reading to learn Davis’ tips on how employees can find ways to include physical fitness throughout even the busiest workdays.

How can employees who work from home find ways to prioritize health and fitness throughout their workday?

I know that working from home can be challenging but we must find ways to prioritize fitness by keeping our bodies moving. Fitness is so beneficial to your health and can improve your work mood and overall health.  I suggest trying the STOP method which means “Stop Typing on PC.” Practice this by blocking off time on your calendar for fitness breaks. Scheduling time is making fitness a priority because we sit for hours in one place and many only get up for coffee, lunch, and bathroom breaks. Here are some suggestions below:

• Put on your gym shoes and go for a walk around the block.
• Step away from your computer for five minutes of stretching.
• Getting some direct sunlight improves your health making you feel recharged and refreshed to continue with the workday.

How can employees who work in an office find ways to prioritize health and fitness throughout their workday?

There are ways for employees to prioritize their health and fitness while working in the office throughout the workday both indoors and outdoors. The STOP method still applies while in the office!  Block off time and schedule your fitness breaks. Always be prepared for working out by having a change of clothes, towel, water bottle, and gym shoes in the car. Here are some more suggestions employees can do while working in an office:

• Indoors: Walk up and down the hallways, up and down stairs, go the fitness center if your company provides one and get on the treadmill, stretch, or lift some weights.
• Outdoors: Go outside to stretch or take a walk around the building, or a quick jog.

By doing this, employees can improve their mood and health by making sure they keep moving even during the workday!

What are the benefits of regular physical activity? What are some easy ways for employees to add physical activity into a busy workday?

There are so many benefits to maintaining regular physical activity. By prioritizing physical activity consistently, your body learns to look forward to daily movement and exercise. Another benefit are the results that you will see from consistently staying active. You may find yourself feeling better, less stressed, and possibly experiencing more energy, and better sleep.

As a Medical Director for Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, Chris Squillaro, DO, manages many different responsibilities. As a supervisor of the Pennsylvania medical staff, he performs reviews, attends complaint and grievance hearings, and leads various rounds with our care managers. Dr. Squillaro also provides the executive leadership with input on strategy and focusing on prioritizing what’s important to our county customers. Whenever a medical opinion or perspective is needed, Dr. Squillaro, who has been with Magellan since 2021, always provides that medical input into the initiatives and intervention being done in Pennsylvania. Continue reading to learn more about what innovative behavioral health projects and initiatives Dr. Squillaro is currently working on in Pennsylvania:

What sort of innovative projects are you currently working on?

There’s an enterprise-wide movement to develop a common suicide pathway to decrease suicidality. Pennsylvania is heavily involved with that project although it involves more than just Pennsylvania. I’ve been working on this with the corporate and Pennsylvania leadership.

We are also doing a project in Pennsylvania called Project Red, which aims to decrease readmission rates and standardize the discharge process. This is a project that’s being led by two researchers out of Massachusetts who had developed Project Red originally for the medical side, and they want to convert it to the behavioral side.

I’m also involved in a trauma informed care summit because of a Pennsylvania Commonwealth initiative. The goal is to transition all the Commonwealth residential treatment facilities to tiered trauma designations that demonstrate competency in trauma care for children and adolescents in that level of care. Included in this would be consistent trauma screening and treatment, decreasing physical and chemical restraints, having a trauma informed lens as patients move through care and awareness of experiences in the milieu that may be triggering.

We also have a medication adherence project where I clinically supervise the pharmacist who is working on improving medication adherence for some of our more severe patients through direct member education and training.

Why is Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania the best place to do these projects?

I think we have a holistic view of the healthcare delivery system, not just within individual units across the country but enterprise wide. We have our eyes on national issues through touchpoints with the corporate team. We understand what Pennsylvania’s priorities are, what their initiatives are, and what issues are important to them. We can get even more granular at a county level. Each county is in tune with what are its’ constituents wants and needs. Pennsylvania is very diverse, there are swings in socioeconomic status between regions and resources. We get this population health view at a national level, that then is informed all the way down to the county level so we can see it not only for what’s important from a national perspective, but then in each Pennsylvania community. With that information, we can come up with the best way to approach problems.

I think there’s also a lot of willingness and eagerness to use technology at Magellan. It helps us to sort and track outcomes. Magellan is really getting involved with technology, this is something that’ll be hugely helpful for what we can do in the future.

What are your thoughts on the culture at Magellan Health? How has that culture impacted the projects you’re working on?

Before I worked at Magellan, I was a provider. Magellan has always been willing to try new things. If providers had a good way of solving common problems, in my experience, Magellan was certainly willing to entertain it and develop programming around it. I think that willingness to adapt, change, and try new things is what makes projects successful. The culture of being able to move around problems and to adapt is one of the things I saw since before working at Magellan and has only been reaffirmed since I’ve joined this team.

What direction do you see healthcare going in? Have you noticed any exciting trends in the healthcare industry? What lessons are there to learn in other industries that can be applied to healthcare?

I feel we are learning from the way that care is delivered on the medical side. Using outcomes and data to make decisions is one of the things that’s exciting in behavioral health. Some screening tools that have been developed have become more reliable and it’s starting to create a common language that we can have with our medical counterparts. This then creates opportunities to coordinate at key levels of care. There’s also a lot more collaboration between medical and behavioral health. It’s not new information that behavioral health has a significant impact on medical costs overall and medical quality. I see medicine becoming more integrative. On the behavioral health side, we’re catching up on the importance of data-driven decision-making outcomes and managing from a population health perspective.

Another trend is in customer care. We are learning from industries where customer satisfaction is critical to ease of access, utilization, adherence, and adoption of a plan. We’re doing a lot of customer surveys and making sure people are happy with the service that they’re getting.

Lastly, we’re adopting the standardization and checklist mentality that I most associate with the airline industry. This is a public safety concern that has been effectively managed by airlines to assure safety and limit mistakes. We are utilizing and promoting standardized tools and checklists to consistently diagnosis issues. We are then using algorithms to standardize treatment pathways. This assures consistencies across providers and assures that the most appropriate evidence-based interventions are being utilized to treat people.

Tips for parents and professionals

To be sure, Covid-19 changed a lot of things. One of which was doubling the average amount of screen time for American adolescents[1].

• Pre Pandemic: 3.8 hour per day
• Current: 7.70 hours per day

It is important that parents, teachers, counselors, and others who live and work with children and youth become familiar with the ever-changing digital landscape to provide timely guidance and support. The following information and downloadable tip sheet will give you a good foundation to get started.

Influence and Information

To understand the degree of influence of digital media on children, we must first understand the speed and scope of peer-to-peer information sharing in the digital age. Due to use of algorithms built to share information on a global scale instantly, it is often difficult to immediately curb the spread of misinformation and propaganda on the platforms. Algorithms are digital code built to recognize engaging content and then deliver that content to audiences to generate higher views. The algorithm does not distinguish positive or negative types of viral content. As content can be seen by adolescents and parents or professionals in the same general time frame, this provides the ability to prepare an appropriate response.

What it means to “Go Viral”

When a piece of content becomes widely shared, is referenced in other content, and begins to influence the social structure of its intended audience, the content is considered to have “gone viral.”

To give you an idea of how quickly content can reach worldwide audiences, here are the viral rates for Tiktok:

• > 500 views in the first .25/hr
• > 10k views in the first 4/hr
• > 250k views in the first 24/hr
• > 1 million views in the 48/hr

Empowering Viral Content[2]

Not all viral content is bad. Some viral content empowers adolescents to be the change they wish to see in the world. It’s important to understand that viral content can be positive and widely influential. Positive examples of viral content include:

• Student-led peaceful protests—In the spring of this year, high school students from Boston, Chicago, and other cities across the Northeast organized peaceful walkouts to protest the unsafe in person learning conditions amidst rising regional Covid cases. These students passionately demonstrated for the safety of their teachers and classmates to demand access to virtual learning. This was an excellent example of our youth being the young leaders of tomorrow.
• Neighborhood cleanups—Throughout 2020 lockdowns, a viral trend showcased individuals standing in front of an area with litter and trash visible. Dancing along with a selected audio, the creator would stitch a transition using choreography to a new scene where the area had been cleaned and the garbage bagged. These videos slowly became more dramatic over the summer as creators became more competitive, however the end goal was always environmental cleanup.
• “Show Your Talent” Challenge—The “Show Your Talent” challenge of 2021 featured an original creator issuing a challenge to others to “Show Your Talent”. This video garnered significant positive feedback and resulted in people of all ages showing talents.

Destructive Viral Content[3]

Viral content can also be destructive and damaging, influencing individuals to engage in behaviors that result in the loss of life, property, or safety. Examples include:

• “Silhouette” Challenge—The “Silhouette” challenge involves individuals dancing provocatively, often using a filter to showcase a millisecond long video of the individual either nude or barely clothed, viewed through a lens such a “Heat Filter”. This portrays a lewd image under the guise of it being safe due to the filter. However, these videos can be downloaded and the filter removed through the use of apps, allowing that content to be recirculated showing the real, unfiltered video.
• “Morning-after-pill” Challenge—The “Morning-after-pill” Challenge resulted from adolescents opening the plastic device used for a pregnancy test. Inside this plastic device is a silica tablet, meant to absorb moisture and maintain the validity of the test. Adolescents mistakenly thought this tablet was a free Plan B pill and ingested the tablet. This misinformation spread quickly, resulting in such a negative impact that manufacturers of the pregnancy tests released public statements educating the public about the silica tablets.
• “Devious Lick” Challenge—The “Devious Lick” Challenge started as individuals being dared to lick disgusting surfaces, such as the bottom of a sneaker, a toilet seat, or the bathroom door handle. However, this trend quickly escalated to damage of property, with multiple schools reporting damage. Damage included sinks being torn from walls, toilets broken, mirrors broken, and soap dispensers stolen.
• “Who Want Smoke” Challenge—The “Who Want Smoke” challenge hit our local schools the hardest. In November of 2021, a viral trend began using a specific audio on TikTok referencing gun violence. The image provided is taken from the viral video showing Clarksville students coming around a corner pretending to be holding a firearm aimed at the camera. Over 50 students were suspended for participating in this trend.

These types of viral content provide misinformation which can be harmful or dangerous.

Benefits to Consider

It is critical to practice the language of the digital age on a daily basis. Linguistics is evolving at an unprecedented rate. This may create opportunities to connect with children and adolescents that were not previously available. Other benefits include:

For the Professional:

• Becoming more familiar with ever-changing digital landscape
• Understanding the evolving linguistics of the digital age child
• Faster and stronger rapport building

For the Child/Adolescent:

• Providing opportunity for discussion on current trends and topics
• Creating an environment for authentic growth and self-reflection
• Establishing a sense of trust and safety

Due to using this best practice, Magellan Federal counselors at Fort Campbell were aware of the “Who Want Smoke” trend prior to its arrival to local schools. This allowed the opportunity to have preemptive support for adolescents. Through this support, adolescents were able to have authentic conversations about the trend, its meaning, and how it could impact them.

Sites to Search

To stay on top of digital trends, we recommend actively searching the following media channels:

• Local news source
• Facebook
• Other social media platforms
• Tiktok
• Reddit
• Twitter
• Instagram

Pro Tip: Ask the adolescents where they spend their time online. Populations will differ by region and age group. It never hurts to ask!

Article originally published on MFed Inform. Visit to download free tip sheet.

[1]   Nagata JM, Cortez CA, Cattle CJ, et al. Screen Time Use Among US Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(1):94–96. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.4334

[2]   Alfonseca, Kiara. Jan 14 2022. Students walk out over COVID-19 in-person learning conditions in schools. https://abcnews.go.com/US/students-walk-covid-19-person-learning-conditions-schools/story?id=82265171

[3]   Quinlan, Keely. Nov 23, 2021. Over 50 students suspended for viral TikTok video at West Creek High in Clarksville. https://clarksvillenow.com/local/over-50-students-suspended-for-viral-tiktok-video-at-west-creek-high-in-clarksville/

A theme for September’s Recovery Month is “Recovery is for Everyone.” It sounds nice, but is it really true? We’re all impacted by mental health and substance use conditions in some way, whether we live with them or know someone who does. But with 74 million adults and 5 million adolescents in America living with a mental health or substance use condition,[1] is recovery really for everyone?

Where do you stand?

Do you think recovery is possible for a person given a diagnosis of schizophrenia? Is recovery possible for someone in active heroin addiction?

If you think recovery is possible for them, do you expect recovery for them?

Think about it for a minute.

Recovery for me

I am a person in recovery. At the beginning of my journey, I was a teenager with a bright future ahead of me who had been given a mental health diagnosis. It was easy for others to hold hope for me because my accomplishments were a recent memory. Recovery was possible and expected for me.

Today, I have a successful career, an advanced education, a home, and a deep connection to my community. It’s easy for people to expect recovery for me because I’ve proven it’s possible.

But in the middle of my story is endless years of pain and despair. My teenage accomplishments quickly became overshadowed by more diagnoses, hospitalizations, failed medication trials, and a disability determination. The longer my struggles continued the harder it was for me and the people around me to believe my recovery was possible. An expectation of recovery was replaced with low expectations of my abilities, personal responsibility, and chances for a meaningful life.

The irony is that these low expectations quickly became more distressing for me than any symptom I was experiencing. It was the lack of expectation for recovery in my life that brought the soul-crushing despair that nearly ended my life.

Measuring down

My experience is not isolated. It is common to determine someone’s ability to recover based on internal and external factors and then act accordingly. These factors may include a person’s income, education history, employment, housing, support system, family culture, ethnicity, and geography; the number of times they have been in rehab or failed medication trials; and the number of diagnoses, type of diagnoses, drugs used and number of physical health comorbidities. The list could be endless.

Now let’s go back to the scenarios above and add a few more details:

Do you expect recovery for the man you pass at the bus stop who is experiencing homelessness, who hears voices and who has no education?

What about the woman you see at the park who uses street drugs, whose kids are in foster care and who is unemployed. Do you expect recovery for her?

Recovery for everyone in action

Expecting recovery for everyone requires an unwavering commitment to the belief that recovery is possible for every person, no matter their diagnosis, treatment history, or current and past circumstances. The next step after believing recovery is possible is taking action on that belief through communicating with hopeful, empowering language, encouraging risk-taking in the pursuit of recovery, and focusing on strengths versus perceived deficits.

At the systems level, expecting recovery for everyone means:

• Providing equitable recovery opportunities through services and supports, including beyond traditional treatment delivery systems
• Outreaching to engage Black, Brown, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities
• Transforming practices and environments to reflect recovery-oriented principles

If we all believed that recovery was for everyone, it would radically change our communities and service delivery systems for the better. It would send a message of hope and save lives during a time when suicide rates in the U.S. have increased 30% from 2000 to 2020.[2]

Imagine what would change if we believed recovery was for everyone.

Join the conversation

We are pleased to host a free webinar, “What I would tell my younger self: Conversations about hope, recovery and the “S” word,” on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Register today to hear our presenters share the advice they would give to their younger selves to better navigate mental health and substance use challenges, and engage in the conversation!

Visit MagellanHealthcare.com/Recovery for resources to use and share this Recovery Month and beyond.

[1] Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

[2] National Institute of Mental Health, “Suicide” information

The new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched on July 16, 2022. With 988, it’s now easier than ever for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress–whether that is thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress–to seek immediate help.

The new 988 dialing code operates through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (the Lifeline) network of over 200 locally operated and funded crisis centers across the U.S. People can now access a strengthened and expanded Lifeline via 988 or the existing 10-digit number (which will not go away).

In this post, we’ll continue the introduction of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and provide additional resources for you to learn more and be prepared if you or someone you know experiences a mental health crisis.

What is 988?

Beyond being an easy-to-remember number, 988 provides a direct connection to trained, compassionate and community-based crisis counselors for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress–whether that is thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.

Who can use 988?

988 services are confidential, free and available 24/7/365 for anyone experiencing a mental health, substance use or suicidal crisis. And 988 isn’t just for you. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

How are 988 services accessed?

The 988-dialing code is available for call (multiple languages) or text (English only), and chat services (English only) can be accessed at 988Lifeline.org. 988 services are available through every landline, cell phone and voice-over-internet device in the U.S.

 How is 988 different from 911?

The focus of 988 is to provide easier access to the Lifeline network and related crisis resources, which are distinct from 911, where the focus is on dispatching Emergency Medical Services, fire and police, as needed.

Why was 988 created and where can I get more information?

Congress designated the new 988 dialing code in 2020 to improve access to crisis services in a way that meets our country’s growing suicide and mental health-related crisis care needs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the lead federal agency, along with Vibrant Emotional Health (operational home of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline), in partnership with the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Veterans Affairs, to make 988 a reality in the U.S.

SAMHSA provides comprehensive resources for anyone to learn more about 988, suicide prevention and mental health crisis services at   SAMHSA.gov/988.

Is my state ready for 988?

States are at varying degrees of readiness for the volume increases expected from moving to the 3-digit code, 988. The federal government is responding to resource challenges with unprecedented levels of funding and an all-of-government approach to partner with state and local leaders to improve system capacity and performance.

Find additional information and materials on suicide prevention at MagellanHealthcare.com/Prevent-Suicide, and stay tuned for our September Suicide Prevention Awareness Month campaign and free webinar.

Sign up to receive updates a few times a month from Magellan on free behavioral health resources you can use and share with family, friends and colleagues here.

Sources: SAMHSA and the National Action Alliance for Suicide prevention