‘No judgement. Just help’ theme of first 988 Day

September is National Suicide Awareness Month. For the first time, a day has been chosen as 988 Day. It is September 8. The theme is “No Judgment. Just Help.”

The day was established to raise awareness about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It will be an annual day from here on out.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) suggests using #988 on social media to share your support, stories and activities.  Some ideas for activities include Create a 988 Day playlist using platforms like Spotify or SoundCloud with songs that make you feel good and tag #988Day; Create a 988 dance and post it on social media channels with #988Day; Share mindfulness coloring posters on social media with 988 branding; Film and post videos in front of 988 signage along with #988Day. 

SAMHSA reports that in 2021 and 2022 the U.S. had one death by suicide about every 11 minutes. For people aged 10-14 and 25-34 suicide was the second leading cause of death. About 107,000 people died from drug overdose. More than 950,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.6 million adults attempted suicide. 

Stefan Johansson, Director of Wyoming Department of Health, said that in Wyoming there appears to be a flattening trend, maybe even a bend, probably because of the change from an extended 1-888 number to 988 and the public awareness campaign. Having a designated 988 day will help get the word out, he said. Contributing to the flattening as well is that there are now two call centers in Wyoming that offer 24/7 Wyoming based crisis counselors. They are the Wyoming LifeLine and Central Wyoming Counseling Center.

Johansson pointed out that the call centers in Wyoming’s average speed of answering is faster than the national average. This is something he is very proud of. He also noted that 90% of the calls from Wyoming are answered by the Wyoming centers. The only time the calls are routed to a national call center is when all the councilors are on other calls. 

Ralph Nieder-Westermann, director of the Wyoming LifeLine in Greybull, said it is an amazing feat to have a national day just two years after 988 was rolled out. The day will help reinforce the foundation that has been laid about the importance of 988. The Wyoming LifeLine’s call volume this year is almost 40% higher than last year.

On September 11 Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon will sign a proclamation deeming September at Suicide Awareness Month in Wyoming. 

The Wyoming Suicide Prevention Symposium will be held at the Best Western Downtown Casper, October 3-4, 2024.