988 and Mississippi’s Mobile Crisis Unit

988 and Mississippi’s Mobile Crisis Unit

by | Jan 19, 2023 | trauma

As of July 2022, 988 became the national three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL). Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, a mental health crisis, or any other type of emotional distress can call, text, or chat with a trained behavioral health professional. Individuals who are concerned about a loved one or friend can also call the lifeline. Beginning July 2022, callers dialing 988 are routed to the Lifeline across the United States.

The creation of a national three-digit phone number is anticipated to increase access to vital crisis services and help to save lives. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services is working to transform crisis care into a system that offers a continuum of services, from the initial call to 988, to a mobile response by a team of trained behavioral health professionals, to crisis residential units aimed at stabilizing individuals with crisis follow-up care. The MS Department of Mental Health reports that as of 2021, Mississippi can provide primary coverage 24/7 for all 82 counties. The call volume for July 2021-2022 was 18,388. People can also call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Each Community Mental Health Center region in Mississippi also offers crisis mobile response services, which employ face-to-face professional and peer intervention, deployed in real time, to the location of the person in crisis. The behavioral health teams respond to individuals, family members, or community organization and provide assessment, stabilization, and referral services to individuals in crisis. Their goal is to prevent hospitalization and provide individuals the appropriate care in the least restrictive setting. During FY22, teams responded to 30,571 calls, contacts, and follow-ups, of which 11,657 were face-to-face. A short video as well as the phone numbers for each region can be found on the MS Department of Mental Health website, located here.

Crisis Residential Services are also available statewide. A total of 177 beds are available across 14 units and provide time-limited residential treatment to persons experiencing a period of acute psychiatric distress. Services are designed to prevent civil commitment or longer-term psychiatric hospitalization. Crisis Residential Units (CRUs) are designed to accept admissions (voluntary and involuntary) twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week. More information, including location and contact numbers are available here.

 

What does trauma look like?

What does trauma look like?

by | Apr 14, 2022 | trauma

Have you ever wondered, “Why does my parent or spouse act like that?” This is a question that plagues a lot of relationships. Before vilifying your loved one, I would like for you to ask yourself,” What is/was it like to walk a mile in their shoes. What kind of life have they lived to this day? . Most of you have heard the pop psychology term, “trauma.” 

Basically, trauma is anything deeply distressing that you can’t stop thinking about and often it causes adverse reactions, avoidance and/or ineffective communication patterns that hurt relationships. It could even be unconscious or a protective factor that keeps a person safe because they are afraid of being reinjured. Trauma can be mild, moderate, or severe in nature and can affect every area of a person’s life. Everyone has experienced something traumatic at some point.

These are a few signs and symptoms that you or a loved one is suffering from a trauma:

  • Low sense of self worth
  • Repeated disturbing memories, thoughts, or images of a stressful experience from the past
  • Avoiding thinking about or talking about a stressful experience from the past or avoiding feelings related to it
  • Feeling as if your future will somehow be cut short
  • Irritability
  • Hypervigilance, super-alert, watchful or on guard with or without a jumpy, startled response
  • Codependency in relationships
  • Fear of being abandoned
  • Putting your needs aside for other people
  • Craving for external validation
  • Not being able to tolerate conflict
  • Always fearing what might happen next
  • Resisting positive change
  • Tolerating abusive behaviors from others
  • Being overly agreeable
  • An innate feeling of shame
  • A clustering of these symptoms would suggest that you or your loved one is functioning at a not so healthy emotional level.

If trauma is left untreated, a personal could develop a serious conditions known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD, according to the DSM V, is an anxiety disorder that may develop after a person has experienced one or more traumatic events and it can be acute or chronic in nature. Traumatic events such as direct or indirect exposure to death, serious injury, abuse, neglect, sexual violence and/or chronic invalidation.

This is a treatable condition. Using evidence-based treatment protocols, our clinicians can help guide you through a series of sessions aimed at the reduction or total elimination of symptoms.