Habersham County lost 20 people to suicide in 2019 and 2020, according to the Habersham County Health Department.
That’s 20 members of our community who reached such a dire point of crisis that they saw no other alternative or could not find resources available, but that resource does exist for people if they know where to access the help they need.
There is no way to know why these 20 people felt compelled to end their lives.
But we do know there is a new resource available to try and prevent others from making the same tragic choice.
A national suicide prevention service goes online this week: By calling 988, a person seeking help can reach a counselor who is part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
This number goes online in Georgia starting Saturday. It serves as a crucial tool and one we’re glad to see made available.
According to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the 988 line will help people in crisis get quick access to support systems.
It’s estimated that 8 percent of calls to 911 are related to a mental health crisis. By having a new, easy-to-remember number, people who are in such a state can get direct access to a counselor and in the process ease the burden of our already overworked dispatchers.
Already there are more than 200 crisis centers helping with suicide prevention, just with varied and hard-to-remember numbers.
(The number for the Georgia Crisis and Access Line is 800-715-4225. It is important but doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue like 988 will.)
According to GPB, studies show the counselors who take these calls help people in crisis feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed and more hopeful.
Georgia has done commendable work in removing the barriers to mental health. New laws went into effect this month requiring health insurance companies to cover mental health treatment at the same level they do physical issues.
There is considerable stigma around mental health care, and that shouldn’t be the case.
If you aren’t feeling quite right, get help. Call the number. Someone cares and wants the best for you – and the state too is sending the message that your life is important.