New resources available for mental health support
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Samaritans offer new options to get help
Updated: 8:20 PM EDT Jun 16, 2023
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BUILDING FOR YEARS. WE HAD A CRISIS OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND IT KEPT GETTING WORSE. DEMAND FOR MENTAL HEALTH WOULD GO UP WITH EACH COVID SURGE. IT NEVER CAME BACK DOWN. NOW, COMMISSIONER BROOKE DOYLE AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ARE ROLLING OUT A NEW WAY OF RESPONDING TO THIS CALL FOR HELP. THEY’RE TOOLS, A NUMBER YOU CAN CALL OR TEXT 24 OVER SEVEN FOR HELP. AND A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR HEALTH CENTERS. THANK YOU FOR CALLING IN. ADVOCATE DOYLE DESCRIBES THE CENTERS AS URGENT CARE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, MEANING BOTH MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE. AT ADVOCATES IN FRAMINGHAM, PEOPLE CAN PARTICIPATE IN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP THERAPY, GET A PRESCRIPTION OR EVEN STAY FOR A FEW DAYS TO GET MORE INTENSIVE TREATMENT. YOU CAN LITERALLY GET YOUR NEEDS MET SAME DAY, NEXT DAY, WHILE PEOPLE CAN WALK INTO ONE OF THESE HEALTH CENTERS, THEY CAN ALSO CONNECT WITH THEM THROUGH THE STATE’S HELPLINE. DOYLE SAYS CLINICIANS ARE AVAILABLE AROUND THE CLOCK EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR TO SUPPORT CALLERS. SOMETIMES WE NEED HELP AT TWO IN THE MORNING OR ON SATURDAY. SO WHAT WE REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS THE HELPLINE WILL HELP YOU RIGHT NOW, THOSE HELPLINE OPTIONS CAN HAVE A NUMBER OF OUTCOMES. EVERYTHING FROM THE RECOMMENDATION OF A THERAPIST WHO TAKES YOUR INSURANCE TO THE DISPATCH OF A CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM. YOU COULD ALSO BE A PERSON EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND A CRISIS INTERVENTION RESPONDER CAN COME OUT TO WHEREVER YOU ARE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AT A SPECIFIC PLACE OR AT A SPECIFIC TIME. THE CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE 24 OVER SEVEN. YOU HAVE SHEPHERDED THE HELPLINE. IT’S JUST LAUNCHED. HOW IS IT DOING AND WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE? I AM SO HOPEFUL ABOUT WHERE THIS IS GOING TO TAKE US. OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO HELP PEOPLE ACCESS THE RIGHT LEVEL OF TREATMENT. AT AN EARLIER TIME. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT HELP IS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW, MEETING YOUNG ADULTS WHERE THEY ARE IS THE STRATEGY FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN SERVING THE COMMONWEALTH FOR DECADES. WE RECOGNIZE, OF COURSE, THAT YOUNG PEOPLE PREFER TEXTING AS THEIR WAY OF COMMUNICATING AND JUST AS IMPORTANT IS WHO IS ON THE OTHER END OF THAT TEXT CONVERSATION. IF A YOUNG PERSON DOESN’T WANT TO TEXT BECAUSE THEY ARE IMAGINING THAT THEY MIGHT BE REACHING SOMEONE WHO LOOKS MORE LIKE ME, THEN THEIR PEERS, THEN THEY MAY NOT DO IT. HEY, SAM IS A TEXT SERVICE RUN BY SAMARITAN, AN ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SUICIDE PREVENTION. THE SERVICE CONNECTS TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH PEER VOLUNTEERS TO TALK ABOUT THE TOUGH PARTS OF LIFE. MAYBE THEY’RE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND GETTING READY TO GO TO COLLEGE. WHAT THE TRANSITION IS GOING TO BE LIKE. I ALSO HAVE PEOPLE CONTACT ABOUT THEIR FIRST RELATIONSHIPS, LIKE SOME HEARTBREAK. MAYBE THEY GOT IN A FIGHT WITH THEIR PARENTS AND THEY’RE JUST LIKE FEELING REALLY UPSET. AFTER THAT, I CAN OFFER THEM SOME SUPPORT NEAR THEIR SIDE. BROOKLYN MCDERMOTT HIGHLAND VOLUNTEER WITH SAMARITANS. SHE GOT INVOLVED AFTER THE GROUP SPOKE AT HER HIGH SCHOOL. THE 20 YEAR OLD ANSWERS TEXTS SENT TO HEY, SAM, IT’S JUST LIKE IT’S A LOT DIFFERENT NOW AND OLDER VOLUNTEERS MAY NOT LIKE TRULY ARE ABLE TO RELATE TO THAT. SO I’M ABLE TO RELATE TO THAT A LOT. SAMARITANS HAS BEEN DOING THIS KIND OF WORK FOR FIVE DECADES, FIRST WITH THEIR 24 OVER SEVEN PHONE LINE AND THEN WITH TEXT CAPABILITY. HEY, SAM LAUNCHED IN SPRING OF 2022 SAMARITANS CEO AND PRESIDENT KATHY MARKEY SAYS NO MATTER THE FORMAT, EVERY CONVERSATION IS GUIDED BY THE SAME PHILOSOPHY. IT’S THE IDEA THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE JUST NEED SOMEONE TO LISTEN TO THEM. OFTENTIMES, WE AS FRIENDS AND FAMILY WANT TO HELP SOMEONE SOLVE A PROBLEM. SO SOMEONE SAYS, I’M REALLY STRUGGLING WITH THIS. AND OUR RESPONSE TO THAT IS, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU COULD DO OR YOU KNOW WHAT MIGHT HELP. AND REALLY WHAT WE NEED IS INDIVIDUALS IS TO JUST HAVE SOMEONE SAY, YEAH, I GET THAT. BOTH MARKEY AND MCDERMOTT HIGHLAND SAY THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO HAVING THESE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS OVER TEXT. I HEAR PEOPLE LIKE I’M BETWEEN CLASSES RIGHT NOW. I JUST REALLY NEEDED TO TALK ABOUT THIS THING THAT JUST HAPPENED. SO IT’S JUST VERY EASY JUST TO SEND A TEXT RIGHT IT OUT. SOMETIMES CALLING CAN BE VERY INTIMIDATING. VOLUNTEER YEAR HELD MORE THAN 1400 CONVERSATIONS ON. HEY SAM IN ITS FIRST YEAR OFTEN THE CONNECTION WITH US IS WHAT PEOPLE FEEL THEY NEED AND WHEN THEY’RE DONE WITH THE TEXT OR THE CALL. WHAT WE HEAR VERY OFTEN IS IT WAS SO HELPFUL TO JUST BE HEARD AND TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT AND GET HELP. THEY SAY, I DON’T HAVE ANYONE IN MY LIFE I CAN TELL THIS TO AND I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO ME. BROOKLYN AND BEING THERE FOR ME. IT’S JUST THERE’S NOTHING LIKE IT. I CAN’T COMPARE IT TO ANYTHING ELSE IN MY LIFE. IS THE MOST REWARDING THING I CAN THINK OF. WHAT A GREAT PROGRAM. AND AT THIS TIME, SAMARITANS HAS. HEY SAM, VOLUNTEERS FROM 9 A.M. TO MIDNIGHT. BUT EVEN IF A PEER VOLUNTEERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE ON. HEY, SAM, ANYONE REACHING OUT TO HEY, SAM, AT ANY TIME OF DAY, WE’LL GO DIRECTLY TO A SAMARITANS VOLUNTEER. IT IS A GREAT PROGRAM. ALL RIGHT. STILL AHEAD, A LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE NOW.
New resources available for mental health support
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Samaritans offer new options to get help
Updated: 8:20 PM EDT Jun 16, 2023
If you are struggling with your mental health, or have a loved one who needs help, you can get connected with resources through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health’s 24/7 helpline. Call or text 833-773-2445 or access their online chat here.If you need to talk about suicide, you can call or text 988 from anywhere in the country to be connected to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health has launched a new way of responding to an increased need for help with mental health access. The tools include a 24/7 phone helpline and a network of community behavioral help centers. Commissioner Brooke Doyle described the community behavioral help centers as urgent care for mental health and substance use needs.The helpline can be accessed through an online chat or by calling or texting 833-773-2445. It is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. Callers will be connected with a clinician who can guide them to the support they need.Long-time suicide prevention organization Samaritans is offering a dedicated service to reach young adults who are struggling with their mental health. Hey Sam is a text service that connects teens and young adults with peer volunteers to talk about the tough parts of life. People can text 439-726 any time of the day to get support. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., teenage and young adult volunteers are on standby to support their peers.Sophie, a student at Simmons University, shares her mental health struggles and works to destigmatize seeking help.Boston Children’s Hospital Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences works to help children and families create and achieve a healthy development and lifestyle. The program has a mission of providing excellence and innovation in care, education, research, and advocacy for mental health within families.Sophie Nystuen is the founder of Breathe, a resource designed to help people heal and move on from traumatic and life altering events. Users can write their thoughts in any form they prefer, whether it may be a poem, an essay, or even a simple statement. The site maintains users’ anonymity and offers the choice of publishing stories with or without a name attached.
NEEDHAM, Mass. —
If you are struggling with your mental health, or have a loved one who needs help, you can get connected with resources through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health’s 24/7 helpline. Call or text 833-773-2445 or access their online chat here.
If you need to talk about suicide, you can call or text 988 from anywhere in the country to be connected to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health has launched a new way of responding to an increased need for help with mental health access. The tools include a 24/7 phone helpline and a network of community behavioral help centers. Commissioner Brooke Doyle described the community behavioral help centers as urgent care for mental health and substance use needs.
The helpline can be accessed through an online chat or by calling or texting 833-773-2445. It is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. Callers will be connected with a clinician who can guide them to the support they need.
Long-time suicide prevention organization Samaritans is offering a dedicated service to reach young adults who are struggling with their mental health. Hey Sam is a text service that connects teens and young adults with peer volunteers to talk about the tough parts of life. People can text 439-726 any time of the day to get support. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., teenage and young adult volunteers are on standby to support their peers.
Sophie, a student at Simmons University, shares her mental health struggles and works to destigmatize seeking help.
Boston Children’s Hospital Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences works to help children and families create and achieve a healthy development and lifestyle. The program has a mission of providing excellence and innovation in care, education, research, and advocacy for mental health within families.
Sophie Nystuen is the founder of Breathe, a resource designed to help people heal and move on from traumatic and life altering events. Users can write their thoughts in any form they prefer, whether it may be a poem, an essay, or even a simple statement. The site maintains users’ anonymity and offers the choice of publishing stories with or without a name attached.
