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MedCity Influencers
By Mike Nolte 
The national rollout of 988, the mental health crisis hotline, brought two important realities to light. First, it drew welcome attention to the need for a “last line of defense” for people experiencing serious emotional distress and suicide crises. Suicide was a top-10 leading cause of death for people ages 10-64 in 2020, and access to the 24-hour 988 hotline, the equivalent of a 911 for mental health emergencies, goes a long way to mitigating self-harm and suicide ideation.
Secondly, it focused attention on the fact that the U.S. continues to lack a more proactive and well-coordinated approach to helping people “upstream” of a crisis. The support system that prevents lower acuity mental health challenges from becoming more serious is still very poor.
Given the inextricable link between mind and body, an untreated mental illness like depression or anxiety can lead to addiction and other physical health problems, which in turn can contribute in a negative cycle of other behaviors that exacerbate mental health traumas.
Moreover, school shootings, the Ukraine invasion, pandemic disruptions, Supreme Court decisions, inflation, and other events exacerbated stress levels for millions.
Astoundingly, we still currently lack the infrastructure needed to help people navigate their mental health journey. Just 28 percent of the U.S. population lives in a county where there are sufficient mental health practitioners. More practitioners would mitigate risks associated with people suffering severe mental health challenges. Even during the initial 988 hotline rollout, some states experienced problems staffing call centers and challenges referring people to local caregivers.
For employees struggling with heightened stress, and anxiety, demand for access to mental health services through their employer is increasing. Unsurprisingly, at least one survey of HR professionals identified significant challenges companies have to provide the right mental health and wellbeing services for their employees.
Developing the mental health infrastructure needed to treat mental illnesses in a coordinated and preventive manner, reducing risks before they reach a crisis point, will require a multi-stakeholder approach that includes these pillars.
Many people, unfortunately, will need to seek help through the 988 hotline and other emergency services, no matter what preventive measures we take to treat their mental illnesses, and elevating a mental health crisis to the equivalent of a 911-type of emergency is a welcome step.
However, healthcare organizations, employers, communities, advocates, and politicians must continue efforts to develop a well-coordinated mental health infrastructure. We cannot ignore the fact that for any illness, preventive care and early treatment result in healthier individuals, and longer, more productive lives.
Photo: zhaojiankang, Getty Images
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Mike Nolte is the CEO of Uprise Health, a leading digital mental health company that cares for the total person.
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