美国国家公共电台 NPR--Examining how effective the national mental health helpline has been

Examining how effective the national mental health helpline has been

Transcript¹

It's been six months since the launch of the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. We check in on how many people are using it, and whether it's connecting them to help.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

It's been nearly six months since the launch of 988. That's the national mental health helpline. The number's easy to remember, and that's important for someone in the midst of an emotional crisis. In a short time, the support line has expanded its reach, and there are call centers across the country. But how effective is it? NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee has an update.

RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE²: The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline received over 1.7 million calls, texts and chats in its first five months. That's nearly half a million more than made with the old 10-digit suicide prevention lifeline during the same period the year before.

KIMBERLY WILLIAMS: We see the uptick in volume as an indicator³ that more people are aware of the service and are able to access it.

CHATTERJEE: Kimberly Williams is the president and CEO of Vibrant⁴ Emotional Health, the nonprofit that oversees⁵ the national 988 network. She says not only did more people reach out - more people were connected to help.

WILLIAMS: Significant investments in capacity at the federal, state and local levels really helped to ensure that the lifeline was able to respond to many more people in crisis.

CHATTERJEE: For one, there were fewer abandoned calls compared to 2021, and average wait times to speak to a counselor⁶ fell from close to three minutes in November 2021 to just 36 seconds last November. Dr. John Palmieri is overseeing the 988 launch for the federal government.

JOHN PALMIERI: So more people are being connected to those trained counselors⁷, and they're being connected more quickly to the lifesaving services that are available.

CHATTERJEE: He says there's been a huge rise in people connecting with 988 through texts and chats, a preferred mode of contact by younger people.

PALMIERI: Those younger people in crisis tend to be in more acute stages of distress⁸. And so making sure that they're connected to the lifeline more quickly is critically important as well.

CHATTERJEE: Community Crisis Services in Hyattsville, Md., is one of the 200 or so centers that make up the national 988 network. Tim Jansen heads the organization. He says the recent federal investments have helped him beef up capacity.

TIM JANSEN: We probably had roughly 75 or 80 folks that work the phones and chat. And so now we're up to pushing 300.

CHATTERJEE: But, he adds, other crisis centers across the country are still struggling to hire.

JANSEN: You know, it doesn't pay a million dollars. The work can be hard. There's secondary and tertiary trauma⁹ related to listening to calls, you know, or even doing chats.

CHATTERJEE: And data shows that some states are doing a lot better than others. In Maryland, where Jansen works, the 988 response rate in November was 89%. In Texas, it was 63%. Jansen adds that connecting people to continuing mental health care in their community remains¹⁰ a big challenge across the country.

JANSEN: There's a significant shortage of social workers and mental health professionals that people can see. People wind up at places that have long waiting lists.

CHATTERJEE: And until there are more providers in communities, he says, 988 can only do so much to address someone's ongoing¹¹ mental health needs.

Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

4 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

5 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

6 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

7 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

8 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

9 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。