When the National Suicide Hotline activates its new three-digit number, 9-8-8, it will mark the end of Rep. Seth Moulton's (D-Mass.) battle to overhaul the system. Moulton worked across the aisle with Rep. Chris Stewart (R- Utah) on the legislation aimed at making it as easy to reach out for help as it is to call 911 in an emergency.
“You know, so many Americans every year die by suicide or go through a mental health crisis and just don't ever get any treatment. 9-8-8 is going to change that," Mouton said in an exclusive interview with Spectrum News on Friday.
In the interview, Moulton revealed the idea behind revamping the hotline was rooted out of his own mental health struggles. The congressman said that he traces his experience with post-traumatic stress after four tours in Iraq during his time as a Marine.
“I made a decision a few years ago, that many thought was politically reckless and that was to share my own story of dealing with post-traumatic stress...So, I told this story about how I'm a sitting congressman but I too sought help for a mental health issue and got better," Moulton said.
As a former Air Force pilot, Rep. Stewart also believed in the importance of the legislation which was signed into law two years ago. But, the hotline isn’t just for military veterans. Moulton notes it services all kinds of people, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It's also 100% confidential and is not limited to phone calls. There are now options to text or chat with a trained professional for free and on demand.
"We have translation services for over 200 languages,” Moulton said. “[The hotline] is not going to call the police, no one's gonna come break down your door. If you're young, they're not going to tell your parents and you're not going to be on any list. It's totally confidential.”
In his home state of Massachusetts, Moulton said the state was ready for Saturday's launch, but there has been some criticism that not all 50 states will be ready for the launch of the new 9-8-8 system. Moulton said there's already a system in place to handle the issue.
"The whole national network has redundancy in it,” Moulton said. “So, if your call goes to a local call center but that's full, you'll get routed to another call center that has some openings. You shouldn't have to worry about getting a call dropped. Now, having said that, we know that when 9-1-1 started it wasn't perfect on day one. So I'm sure there'll be a few hiccups.”
What Moulton is looking forward to most, now that the launch is happening, is helping those who do ask for help. Currently one-in-five adults and one-in-six children experience mental health issues each year.