WARNING: This report discusses suicide. Those in crisis can seek help by calling or texting the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Colorado’s crisis and suicide lifelines reported a 32% increase in calls on Nov. 6, the day after the US presidential election.
The Colorado Crisis Lifeline and 988 Colorado Mental Health Line both connect to the same call service center, which saw a notable uptick compared to the Wednesday before the election.
On October 30, both lifelines reported a call volume of 744 people. That increased to 985 callers on November 6, after the presidential election results were largely confirmed.
Cassie Villegas, chief of crisis services with Solari, said an increase in calls isn’t uncommon with any election or large-scale local or national event. Solari is the call center that answers both the Colorado Crisis Line and 988 calls.
“There are a lot of people experiencing anxiety over just not knowing what comes next. And that is not really dependent on who wins the election,” said Villegas. “It's just any election. We just don't know what's going to happen next. And so I think people get a little bit anxious about that.”
Villegas said there were similar increases in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
The post-election callers largely reported anxiety as their primary reason for calling (32%). Social concerns, which include relationship issues, followed closely behind (31%). And about 77 callers expressed self-harm and suicidal ideations (13%).
“I think that's really what we're seeing the most, people calling about, sort of facing the unknown. And then also those relationship stressors within their lives,” said Villegas.
She said there wasn’t much of an uptick in call volume prior to the election and the surge of calls has tapered off since Wednesday.
In terms of gender, 41% of callers on Nov. 6 were male, 41% were female, 3% were transgender, and the remainder did not disclose or discuss their gender.
Because the increase was expected, Villegas said their call center was prepared with proper staffing.
About 99% of the Wednesday calls were stabilized, which means the caller needed no further intervention after making contact with the lifeline staff members.
“We're here. We're not going anywhere. Your pain, your stress, your concern, your excitement, all of that is valid, and we want to hear from you,” said Kelly Bowman, the 988 Enterprise and Crisis Line program manager. “This is a service that we are really proud of that is available 24/7. It is confidential. You can share as little or as much as you like. We know that's really important for a community to hear.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can text or call the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line. Or you can use the chat function at 988Colorado.com. You can also reach the Colorado Crisis Lifeline by texting “TALK” to 38255 or dialing 1-844-493-8255.
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