Huff’s Posts: Help is only a phone call (or text) away

Anyone can call or text 988 to get mental health help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Editor’s note: The following column talks about how to get help for people who are in crisis and/or are suicidal or are having thoughts about self harm.

I became a volunteer at the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline about two years after my husband Bob died. I wasn’t suicidal but I sure knew a thing or two about being in crisis. Grief, as anyone who has lost a loved one knows, is not something you “get over,” and it really never goes away. Time does help soften the sharp edges but to use a coastal metaphor, it’s like a sneaker wave: it can come at you out of the clear blue and knock you down to your knees.

Anyway, I had come to the decision that a positive way to move back into the world could be through volunteering — you know, helping others. I looked at a couple of nonprofits and landed at the hotline. When I started out there as a phone responder, we all had to complete 56 hours of training before we would put on the headphones and start taking calls. And training continued as protocols and resources changed and evolved. I was a phone responder for seven years, before, during and post COVID and after the universal crisis number — 988 — rolled out. I logged over 1,000 calls. Not all of them, or even most, were from people who were actively in the process of ending their life — but there were some. I have to say it’s the hardest — and proudest — work I’ve ever done. 

And so I thought I would check out what help is available for people in crisis here in Oregon. Of course, there’s the 24/7 national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also text or even chat online at 988lifeline.org. The only caveat for calling 988 is that it routes calls by area code. So, say you got your phone/phone number when you were in high school and living in Texas — that’s where your call for help would be sent.

But here in Clatsop County, I found out there is another way to call for help. Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare has a 24-hour crisis line. So if you, or someone you love, is in crisis, you can call 503-325-5724. Your call will be answered by a trained crisis responder at Oregon Lines for Life, “Oregon’s home for 988.” 

There are a variety of options available, too, to suit specific needs. There’s a Senior Loneliness Line (800-282-7035), available 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily; a 24/7 Alcohol and Drug Help Line (800-923-4357); a 24/7 Construction Care Line (503-433-7878); and a YouthLine (877-968-8491 or text: 839863 or 741741) available 4 to 10 p.m. There is also a Facetime line for those in the Military and another one called the HopeLine.

Amanda Donovan, marketing and communication manager for Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, said if a local person is in crisis and needs more help, there is also a 24/7 mobile crisis team staffed by master level clinicians. In addition, there are two Rapid Access Clinics, one at  the Bond Street Clinic in Astoria at 115 W. Bond St., and another at the Seaside Clinic at 1005 Broadway St. Both are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and people can walk in, no appointment necessary, to get help and resources.

“Unless someone is a danger to themselves or others, I often recommend one of the clinics where people can walk in and get help right away,” Donovan said. “They can just pop in.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most recent statistics show that in 2022, 833 people died by suicide in Oregon. According to the Oregon Health Authority, the most recent statistical data on suicide loss in Clatsop County is 12 persons annually, Donovan said.

That’s about a dozen too many. If you or someone you know is in crisis, pick up the phone. Please. One phone call can save a life.

— Jeanne Huff is news editor of the Astorian. She lives in Astoria.