September 7, 2023 • 19 mins
Aired August 27, 2023: September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
If you or someone you know needs help PLEASE CALL 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Lisa Foxx interviewed Lyn Morris, the CEO of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Founded in 1958, Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center is the nation’s first and a model for suicide prevention centers across the globe. Their center has served and trained more than 175,000 individuals in 2022. Our Survivors of Suicide Attempts Manual for Support Groups curriculum for treating people who have attempted suicide has been shared with more than 2,200 mental health professionals in 50 states and 54 countries. No other center offers such a comprehensive array of crisis services, therapy, outreach and training to such a large number of people. They also participate in leading edge research that is transforming the field and saving lives. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988. They also have their 25th annual fundraiser coming up...at Exposition Park.
ALIVE TOGETHER: UNITING TO PREVENT SUICIDE COMMUNITY WALK AT EXPOSITION PARK ON SUNDAY, OCT. 1 Alive Together participants walk 2,160 steps, representing the approximately 2,160 lives lost to suicide globally each day. Alive Together will honor those who have been affected by suicide, promote dialogue, reduce stigma, and shine a spotlight on Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services’ Suicide Prevention Center’s mental health and crisis care prevention and support work. Alive Together will also include a resource fair; family-friendly activities including food, refreshments, and games for all ages; and an opportunity for survivors and survivors of suicide loss to connect and reconnect in their healing journeys. Register and find out more here: visit the website.
If you or someone you know needs help PLEASE CALL 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Lisa Foxx interviewed Lyn Morris, the CEO of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Founded in 1958, Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center is the nation’s first and a model for suicide prevention centers across the globe. Their center has served and trained more than 175,000 individuals in 2022. Our Survivors of Suicide Attempts Manual for Support Groups curriculum for treating people who have attempted suicide has been shared with more than 2,200 mental health professionals in 50 states and 54 countries. No other center offers such a comprehensive array of crisis services, therapy, outreach and training to such a large number of people. They also participate in leading edge research that is transforming the field and saving lives. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988. They also have their 25th annual fundraiser coming up...at Exposition Park.
ALIVE TOGETHER: UNITING TO PREVENT SUICIDE COMMUNITY WALK AT EXPOSITION PARK ON SUNDAY, OCT. 1 Alive Together participants walk 2,160 steps, representing the approximately 2,160 lives lost to suicide globally each day. Alive Together will honor those who have been affected by suicide, promote dialogue, reduce stigma, and shine a spotlight on Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services’ Suicide Prevention Center’s mental health and crisis care prevention and support work. Alive Together will also include a resource fair; family-friendly activities including food, refreshments, and games for all ages; and an opportunity for survivors and survivors of suicide loss to connect and reconnect in their healing journeys. Register and find out more here: visit the website.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Lease a fox here. Thanks somuch for listening. This is the iHeart
So Cal Show. Well, it'sa tough topic, but we want to
tackle it. Mostly it'll let youknow that while suicide remains a public health
crisis, it's also largely preventable.September is Suicide Prevention Month, and for
more than eighty years, De DeherstMental Health Services has served as a national
leader and mental health, crisis careand substance use services. They're a nonprofit
(00:24):
organization dedicated to advancing health equity,especially when it comes to poverty or stigma
that limits access to care. They'rea pioneer and suicide prevention and crisis care
for all ages, all people,and it's so easy now to reach out
for help. It's a free phonecall nine eight eight three digits nine eight
eight, So easy to call.Reach out via phone, reach out via
(00:45):
tax online or in person, orout their suicide Prevention Center. They also
have a huge walk coming up.The main thing to know is that you're
not alone if you are someone thatyou know needs help. Nine eight eight
is a great place to start andso happy to have on the CEO of
DDA Hirsh Mental Health Services, LynnMorris to tell us more. Hi Lynn,
Hi Lisa, thank you so muchfor sharing about mental health and suicide
(01:08):
prevention. Really appreciate it, ofcourse. And I have to warn you,
I can't promise I won't cry becauseit's a it's a tough topic,
epic. Yeah, And I knowyou've been with the organization for a long
time and I'm just going to askyou, you know, share with us
your your background and wanting to helppeople through through these dark times, and
(01:32):
and how do you not cry everyday? I mean, it's a it's
a lot, it's a lot.It is a lot. So I'm Lynn
Morris. I'm the CEO of dD Hirsh Mental Health Services. I have
been with DDE Hirsh for twenty threeyears. I'm a licensed marriage Family therapist
and I've always been drawn to thework of helping other people. But I
think in particular, when I losta friend to suicide, it really impacted
(01:57):
me greatly, especially being a therapist, and thank you, I knew what
to do to help and realizing thatI didn't know as much and there are
a lot of people that don't knowwhat to do to help somebody who is
experiencing suicidal thoughts. So it becamepart of my mission to help others be
able to help people in crisis,because oftentimes people think it takes an education,
(02:23):
it takes all kinds of training andvarious things to help someone, and
it really doesn't. It just Imean, it helps obviously to have those
things, but it really just beinghuman, just listening to someone being there
in their darkest times and helping themthrough and knowing the resources that are available
are critical to helping somebody in acrisis. So that's what brought me to
(02:45):
this work. And I do cryon some days, and sometimes they're sad
tears, sometimes they're happy tears forthings that Dadia Hirsh has done to help
those get through really difficult times.And although we have sad times, there
are very inspirational times. There aretimes we see survivors, people who have
lost someone to suicide volunteering on ourcrisis line or volunteering to run our support
(03:07):
groups that we have for people whohave lost some of the suicide that they're
getting through their grief and pain byhelping others. And there's nothing more inspirational
than seeing that kind of work atGady Hirsh sure and to see people coming
together, coming together in times ofneed, and also people especially and now
we're gonna talk about Alive Together,the annual walk that you do every year
(03:30):
that brings out thousands. I meanthat I can imagine so powerful, you
know, people even just being empatheticto someone else going through that kind of
tragedy, experiencing that kind of tragedyof losing a loved one to suicide.
I can only imagine how powerful thatis. And it's twenty fifth year this
year it is we're really glad tosay that because we've been erasing the stigma
(03:51):
around mental health and suicide for along time at Gady Hirsh And this is
our twenty fifth year of Alive Together, which is our annual community walk dedicated
to preventing suicide and honoring those thatare affected by it. And the walk
race is funds for a suicide preventioncenter, which is really critical, especially
in this last year after ninety eighteight. The three digit number for people
(04:14):
who are in mental health or suicidalcrisis launched last year, and our call
volume, our text volume, ourchat volume has increased tremendously, so more
people are reaching out for help,which is a great thing. That means
we have a chance to help someonein a crisis before they take action and
that we can intervene. So we'rereally excited this year. It's Funday,
(04:36):
October one at Exposition Park from eightam to eleven am and along with the
walk, our participants will walk twentyone hundred and sixty steps, which represents
the lives lost to suicide globally eachday. And on top of yeah,
I know it's a big number.And on top of that, we'll have
(04:57):
a resource fair, family friend activities, food refreshments, games for all ages.
We have banners that we put outwhere people are able to honor their
loved ones that were lost as suicide, so you can see the faces and
know that this is real. It'sa real issue, it's a real problem,
and it gives people a chance tohonor their loved ones in a meaningful
(05:19):
way. And not just for peoplewho have lost someone to suicide. We
have a lot of people who cometo our walk who have attempted suicide and
they're coming to honor themselves and tostay strong in their fight against mental health,
and they're just as inspirational as well. As part of our community walk,
sure, sure, and I canimagine, you know, for those
(05:42):
who have attempted suicide and who weren'table to follow through with it. I
mean, it's the best, youknow, can we say the best mistake
ever? I mean, I'm surethe stories from people who attempted suicide and
failed are probably so grateful a renewedappreciation and feeling so grateful and hopefully the
loved ones around or the love thatthey feel now or the love that they're
working on receiving. I mean,touch on that little bit, because again,
(06:05):
it's not anything you'd want anyone toexperience, but jeez, I'd be
so grateful if they tried and failedso that they're still here so we can
help them work it out. Yeah. Absolutely, I think. You know,
oftentimes we do hear from our survivors, people who have attempted suicide and
are still with us thankfully. Wedo hear that they're grateful they survived and
(06:26):
that during that time it was verydifficult. They often didn't they just didn't
know where to reach out for help. So that's why it's so important we
do a community walk like this AliveTogether United for Suicide Prevention, that people
are aware of the resources that areout there, like nine eight eight,
which provides confidential crisis counseling to thosewho are in suicidal or mental health distress,
(06:47):
and they can call, they canchat, they can text us.
That's the most important thing. Andalso bringing people together in an event where
we're all there for the same reasonand the same purpose, to help people
not feel alone, and to helppromote funding for suicide prevention, because there's
still a lot of work to bedone with this, but oftentimes we find
(07:10):
that survivors are very grateful they survived. There are sometimes survivors that have attempted
suicide and they're still struggling, sowe want to make sure that they are
getting the help that they need,whether that's individual therapy, some groups support
all all services that D. D. Hirsch offers in our community. I
know there's more information at your websiteDdhirsh dot org, d Idi hi r
(07:32):
Sh dot org, Ddhirsch dot org, d Idi hi r Sh dot org.
But you mentioned the phone number.I gotta tell you in I mean,
even when I've had you guys onthe show before, I don't remember
the old number. So it wasn'tan eight eight eight something something something something
something something now since it changed atnine eight eight, so easy to remember
(07:57):
nine eight eight. We remember whatour three number are you for other important
things that we may need four oneone three one one nine one one,
and now we have nine eight eight. Just remember nine eight eight anytime.
It's twenty four seven, just likethe old line. And so these dedicated,
trained people who will be answering thatphone twenty four seven any time for
(08:18):
any mental health issue. Right,nine eight eight, So easy, absolutely,
And that was the whole intention ofcreating the nine eight eight number,
which is it's a new number becauseit's three digit, easier to remember,
but it's based on the old number, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. So
for those that are thinking should Icall the line, I'm not sure.
(08:41):
This number has been in operation sincetwo thousand and five. There are many
crisis centers, including dd Hirst.I've been answering this phone number for decades
and have well trained counselors on theline to be able to help those most
in need during their darkest times.So you know, I know we're focusing
on suicide prevention, but also talkabout the reasons that people do call this
number and to know that it's okayif you're feeling all kinds of weird,
(09:03):
maybe not suicide, but going througha lot in your head, a lot
with your emotions. You know,you mentioned the stigma around mental health.
It's a word that is kind ofthrown around in a lot of different ways,
but you know, talk about whatit actually means, and then what
it means for people who are morethan okay to call ninety eight eight for
any of these reasons. Yeah,we want people, not only people who
(09:26):
are in some kind of mental healthor suicide distress, to be able to
call ninety eight eight, But it'salso a number if you're a family member,
a friend, a colleague of someonethat you're concerned about and you're worried
about them, you don't know whatto do, but you know something's a
little off, you can call ninetyeight eight as well and talk to a
counselor and describe the situation and theycan help guide you through how to help
(09:48):
your loved one or friend or colleague. So I want to make sure people
know that because oftentimes they think it'sjust if you're in a crisis you call,
but it's also for people who wantto help people as well. But
the people who are called in crisis, you know, oftentimes they are experiencing
some depression or some anxiety. We'vehad lots of calls around relationship issues,
(10:11):
employment and stress issues, especially afterCOVID. COVID changed everything obviously with stressors
and people's lives, and it reallyreally what we saw on the line is
it really leveled the playing field,so to speak, in the sense that
if you had not experienced a significantstress in your life in some way,
(10:33):
shape or form, you certainly didafter COVID. I mean in whether it
was losing a loved one to COVID, losing your employment, losing your house,
you know, various things. Sopeople call the crisis line for all
kinds of issues, and it youknow, there are a lot of people
who call who are in suicidal distress. But oftentimes people call and they're just
(10:56):
feeling sad, they're just feeling hopeless, they're just feeling down and they don't
know what to do, and oftentimesthey're not comfortable talking to somebody in their
life, or if they've tried,somebody in their life has inadvertently dismissed them
and said, oh, everything willbe fine tomorrow, or you have nothing
to worry about. You'll be okay, versus Wow, you so I'm really
(11:18):
down today, you know I'm concernedabout you. Let's talk and just listen.
Listening is so powerful for somebody whois in a crisis, because oftentimes
they're told what to do or whatto think or how not to do something,
and people aren't really listening to whythey're even in the pain that they're
in. No, it doesn't help. And so by calling nine to eight
(11:39):
eight, they will get a compassionate, well trained counselor who will actively listen
to the concerns and the pain,whatever that may be that they're experiencing,
and they'll talk them through it.They'll assess their safety, they'll assess their
risk, they'll provide some resources andhere from that person, what has worked
(12:01):
for you in the past, youknow what kind of coping skills, things
of that nature. So it's neverus providing advice, it's us listening on
nine eight eight and helping the callerdetermine what's best going to work for them
and getting them connected to the resourcesthat they may need that they didn't know
about. Knowing that nine eighty eightis where you can turn and fully trust
(12:22):
in the person on the other sidewho is going to give you that that
ear time. No matter what dramaticcraziness you're going through, it's okay to
do a little dumping and let itall out and cry it out and just
explode, so to speak, ina way that hopefully will lead to some
resolve, in a way that couldyou open the door to getting you down
(12:43):
a healthier road, a healthier pathand getting some help that you may need.
With all of the services that youoffer, I mean, it's important
to let people know that sometimes issuesare bigger than them and that there are
medications available that could help or moreintense in person therapy on a regular basis.
So much help is available, exactly, and especially nowadays, there's all
(13:05):
different types of not only treatment,but ways to receive the treatment. So
a lot of folks are doing remotework and you can do telehealth, meaning
you see you know, through zoom, you can see a therapist if you're
not able to get into the officein person. Of course, in person
is also offered. Yes, thereare treatments available, their combination of treatments
(13:28):
that can be suggested you know,by a therapist or doctor depending on what
the situation is that will improve thesituation. You know, the main thing
is for people just to reach outand know that they're not alone, that
there is help, and that dayHirsch is here. We're waiting for you
to call and this isn't help.And this is for everybody. This is
(13:48):
for teens, men, women,veterans, it's for everybody. We get
a you know, last year wetook about close to one hundred and sixty
seven thousand calls, chat and texton nine to eight eight and it's incredible
the amount of people that are callingand just reaching out for help and meeting
(14:09):
somebody to talk to. And absolutelywe serve all ages. We have had
as young as an eight year oldcaller crisis line, We've had as old
as a ninety six year old callorcrisis line, every background that you can
think of, LGBTQ, veterans,everybody. We want this to be a
line that anybody can call. Andour counselors are the most incredible compassionate people
(14:33):
I've personally ever met in my life. That they come in every day and
answer those calls from people, andyou know, oftentimes people will say,
wow, this is really hard work. How do you know stay upbeat and
not get depressed doing this work.And it's because of the callers, and
(14:54):
it's because of our counselors and knowingthat we are making an impact and that
sometimes somebody just needs to be heardand connected and to not feel alone,
and that makes all the difference insomebody's life, and it could be the
difference between life and death. Absolutelysure people are aware of that resource.
And when you call ninety eight toreach out for help with any mental health
crisis or thoughts of suicide, youcan get help in Spanish and another languages.
(15:18):
Yeah, we offer it twenty fourseventh Spanish as well, and we
definitely have some other languages. Wehave translation services, so we can serve
anybody who calls ninety eight eight,And we want people to know that we're
here to answer no matter what timeof day, no matter what they're going
through, or if you're concerned aboutsomebody, you can also call as well.
(15:39):
You can call, you can text, you can reach out online.
Yes, you can text ninety eighteight, and oftentimes the younger folks are
texting us. Obviously, our texthave increased, text and chats have increased
three hundred percent since ninety eight eightwent active, so it's got up quite
a bit. But yes, youcan just text nine to eight eight,
or if you want to chat online, you can go to nine eight eight
(16:00):
lifeline dot org slash chat and enterin through their portal and then you'll be
able to chat as well. Soagain you can call ninety eight, you
can text ninety eight, you canchat online at ninety eight lifeline dot org
slash chat And then I've driven bymany times, Lynn, you have a
suicide prevention center on Olympic Boulevard.They're right by the Westfield Century City where
(16:22):
anyone can walk in the door andget help in person immediately. Yeah,
And we intentionally picked that location andput a big sign on the outside of
the building that said Suicide Prevention Centerbecause we wanted to make sure we were
erasing the stigma around suicide and wantedpeople to know where to go to get
help. And we have had peoplewalk in off the street into our building
(16:45):
between individuals. We even had thelocal fire department over there walk in at
one point because they had lost afirefighter to suicide and they walked in asking
for a help. So we wantpeople to see the sign, We want
people to know that help is outthere. We also want to destigmatize that,
to know that we can talk aboutsuicide a mental health issue, just
as you would walk into a doctor'soffice or a cancer center and not be
(17:10):
ashamed of that and know that youare getting help for your mind, for
your body. And that's what's mostimportant, so that people don't not get
help because they're ashamed of it.So many ways to help, and there's
two of those rights there, onein Orange County as well. We do.
We have a location in Orange Countyas well as the one that you
mentioned on Olympic in Century City.So many ways to get help, and
(17:32):
of course we would love to seeyou in person if you're able to make
it to their annual twenty fifth annualAlive Together Uniting to Prevent Suicide. Such
a powerful morning it will be onOctober first, Exposition Park to see thousands
coming together to walk the number ofmiles two one hundred and sixty, which
equates the number of lives lost eachday to suicide. Who walking those miles
(17:56):
together and solidarity coming together and bethere. I'm just already picturing the hugs
and probably some tears, but likeyou said, hopefully some encouraging tears as
well to say hey, we're hereand we're gonna be here every year and
we're gonna encourage more people the groupsto grow and celebrate life and let people
know that in their darkest days wecan make it through to the other side
(18:18):
and let us help you. Wewant to help you get there. Absolutely,
I cannot say that better in myself. So yes, we're very much
looking forward to the event and itis a place where people come together to
connect and you know, it's ahopeful day and it ends up being a
very fun day in a way tohonor those we've lost in honors who are
in honor those who are still here. And make sure you sign up beforehand
before you show up for the walkDdhirsch dot org, d IDI HI r
(18:42):
SC dot org and a call ortext nine eight eight. If you're hurting
and going through some stuff, youneed someone to listen, You need someone
to be there for you. Theyare They're waiting right now. Nine eight
eight. Lynn Morris, Ddhurst MentalHealth Services, thank you so much for
all that you do to help people. Absolutely absolutely, and thank you so
(19:03):
much, Lisa for being an advocatefor mental health and suicide prevention and helping
us erase this stigma and support oursuicide Prevention Center. So thank you so much,
Lease a fox here. Thanks somuch for listening. This is the iHeart
So Cal Show. Well, it'sa tough topic, but we want to
tackle it. Mostly it'll let youknow that while suicide remains a public health
crisis, it's also largely preventable.September is Suicide Prevention Month, and for
more than eighty years, De DeherstMental Health Services has served as a national
leader and mental health, crisis careand substance use services. They're a nonprofit
(00:24):
organization dedicated to advancing health equity,especially when it comes to poverty or stigma
that limits access to care. They'rea pioneer and suicide prevention and crisis care
for all ages, all people,and it's so easy now to reach out
for help. It's a free phonecall nine eight eight three digits nine eight
eight, So easy to call.Reach out via phone, reach out via
(00:45):
tax online or in person, orout their suicide Prevention Center. They also
have a huge walk coming up.The main thing to know is that you're
not alone if you are someone thatyou know needs help. Nine eight eight
is a great place to start andso happy to have on the CEO of
DDA Hirsh Mental Health Services, LynnMorris to tell us more. Hi Lynn,
Hi Lisa, thank you so muchfor sharing about mental health and suicide
(01:08):
prevention. Really appreciate it, ofcourse. And I have to warn you,
I can't promise I won't cry becauseit's a it's a tough topic,
epic. Yeah, And I knowyou've been with the organization for a long
time and I'm just going to askyou, you know, share with us
your your background and wanting to helppeople through through these dark times, and
(01:32):
and how do you not cry everyday? I mean, it's a it's
a lot, it's a lot.It is a lot. So I'm Lynn
Morris. I'm the CEO of dD Hirsh Mental Health Services. I have
been with DDE Hirsh for twenty threeyears. I'm a licensed marriage Family therapist
and I've always been drawn to thework of helping other people. But I
think in particular, when I losta friend to suicide, it really impacted
(01:57):
me greatly, especially being a therapist, and thank you, I knew what
to do to help and realizing thatI didn't know as much and there are
a lot of people that don't knowwhat to do to help somebody who is
experiencing suicidal thoughts. So it becamepart of my mission to help others be
able to help people in crisis,because oftentimes people think it takes an education,
(02:23):
it takes all kinds of training andvarious things to help someone, and
it really doesn't. It just Imean, it helps obviously to have those
things, but it really just beinghuman, just listening to someone being there
in their darkest times and helping themthrough and knowing the resources that are available
are critical to helping somebody in acrisis. So that's what brought me to
(02:45):
this work. And I do cryon some days, and sometimes they're sad
tears, sometimes they're happy tears forthings that Dadia Hirsh has done to help
those get through really difficult times.And although we have sad times, there
are very inspirational times. There aretimes we see survivors, people who have
lost someone to suicide volunteering on ourcrisis line or volunteering to run our support
(03:07):
groups that we have for people whohave lost some of the suicide that they're
getting through their grief and pain byhelping others. And there's nothing more inspirational
than seeing that kind of work atGady Hirsh sure and to see people coming
together, coming together in times ofneed, and also people especially and now
we're gonna talk about Alive Together,the annual walk that you do every year
(03:30):
that brings out thousands. I meanthat I can imagine so powerful, you
know, people even just being empatheticto someone else going through that kind of
tragedy, experiencing that kind of tragedyof losing a loved one to suicide.
I can only imagine how powerful thatis. And it's twenty fifth year this
year it is we're really glad tosay that because we've been erasing the stigma
(03:51):
around mental health and suicide for along time at Gady Hirsh And this is
our twenty fifth year of Alive Together, which is our annual community walk dedicated
to preventing suicide and honoring those thatare affected by it. And the walk
race is funds for a suicide preventioncenter, which is really critical, especially
in this last year after ninety eighteight. The three digit number for people
(04:14):
who are in mental health or suicidalcrisis launched last year, and our call
volume, our text volume, ourchat volume has increased tremendously, so more
people are reaching out for help,which is a great thing. That means
we have a chance to help someonein a crisis before they take action and
that we can intervene. So we'rereally excited this year. It's Funday,
(04:36):
October one at Exposition Park from eightam to eleven am and along with the
walk, our participants will walk twentyone hundred and sixty steps, which represents
the lives lost to suicide globally eachday. And on top of yeah,
I know it's a big number.And on top of that, we'll have
(04:57):
a resource fair, family friend activities, food refreshments, games for all ages.
We have banners that we put outwhere people are able to honor their
loved ones that were lost as suicide, so you can see the faces and
know that this is real. It'sa real issue, it's a real problem,
and it gives people a chance tohonor their loved ones in a meaningful
(05:19):
way. And not just for peoplewho have lost someone to suicide. We
have a lot of people who cometo our walk who have attempted suicide and
they're coming to honor themselves and tostay strong in their fight against mental health,
and they're just as inspirational as well. As part of our community walk,
sure, sure, and I canimagine, you know, for those
(05:42):
who have attempted suicide and who weren'table to follow through with it. I
mean, it's the best, youknow, can we say the best mistake
ever? I mean, I'm surethe stories from people who attempted suicide and
failed are probably so grateful a renewedappreciation and feeling so grateful and hopefully the
loved ones around or the love thatthey feel now or the love that they're
working on receiving. I mean,touch on that little bit, because again,
(06:05):
it's not anything you'd want anyone toexperience, but jeez, I'd be
so grateful if they tried and failedso that they're still here so we can
help them work it out. Yeah. Absolutely, I think. You know,
oftentimes we do hear from our survivors, people who have attempted suicide and
are still with us thankfully. Wedo hear that they're grateful they survived and
(06:26):
that during that time it was verydifficult. They often didn't they just didn't
know where to reach out for help. So that's why it's so important we
do a community walk like this AliveTogether United for Suicide Prevention, that people
are aware of the resources that areout there, like nine eight eight,
which provides confidential crisis counseling to thosewho are in suicidal or mental health distress,
(06:47):
and they can call, they canchat, they can text us.
That's the most important thing. Andalso bringing people together in an event where
we're all there for the same reasonand the same purpose, to help people
not feel alone, and to helppromote funding for suicide prevention, because there's
still a lot of work to bedone with this, but oftentimes we find
(07:10):
that survivors are very grateful they survived. There are sometimes survivors that have attempted
suicide and they're still struggling, sowe want to make sure that they are
getting the help that they need,whether that's individual therapy, some groups support
all all services that D. D. Hirsch offers in our community. I
know there's more information at your websiteDdhirsh dot org, d Idi hi r
(07:32):
Sh dot org, Ddhirsch dot org, d Idi hi r Sh dot org.
But you mentioned the phone number.I gotta tell you in I mean,
even when I've had you guys onthe show before, I don't remember
the old number. So it wasn'tan eight eight eight something something something something
something something now since it changed atnine eight eight, so easy to remember
(07:57):
nine eight eight. We remember whatour three number are you for other important
things that we may need four oneone three one one nine one one,
and now we have nine eight eight. Just remember nine eight eight anytime.
It's twenty four seven, just likethe old line. And so these dedicated,
trained people who will be answering thatphone twenty four seven any time for
(08:18):
any mental health issue. Right,nine eight eight, So easy, absolutely,
And that was the whole intention ofcreating the nine eight eight number,
which is it's a new number becauseit's three digit, easier to remember,
but it's based on the old number, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. So
for those that are thinking should Icall the line, I'm not sure.
(08:41):
This number has been in operation sincetwo thousand and five. There are many
crisis centers, including dd Hirst.I've been answering this phone number for decades
and have well trained counselors on theline to be able to help those most
in need during their darkest times.So you know, I know we're focusing
on suicide prevention, but also talkabout the reasons that people do call this
number and to know that it's okayif you're feeling all kinds of weird,
(09:03):
maybe not suicide, but going througha lot in your head, a lot
with your emotions. You know,you mentioned the stigma around mental health.
It's a word that is kind ofthrown around in a lot of different ways,
but you know, talk about whatit actually means, and then what
it means for people who are morethan okay to call ninety eight eight for
any of these reasons. Yeah,we want people, not only people who
(09:26):
are in some kind of mental healthor suicide distress, to be able to
call ninety eight eight, But it'salso a number if you're a family member,
a friend, a colleague of someonethat you're concerned about and you're worried
about them, you don't know whatto do, but you know something's a
little off, you can call ninetyeight eight as well and talk to a
counselor and describe the situation and theycan help guide you through how to help
(09:48):
your loved one or friend or colleague. So I want to make sure people
know that because oftentimes they think it'sjust if you're in a crisis you call,
but it's also for people who wantto help people as well. But
the people who are called in crisis, you know, oftentimes they are experiencing
some depression or some anxiety. We'vehad lots of calls around relationship issues,
(10:11):
employment and stress issues, especially afterCOVID. COVID changed everything obviously with stressors
and people's lives, and it reallyreally what we saw on the line is
it really leveled the playing field,so to speak, in the sense that
if you had not experienced a significantstress in your life in some way,
(10:33):
shape or form, you certainly didafter COVID. I mean in whether it
was losing a loved one to COVID, losing your employment, losing your house,
you know, various things. Sopeople call the crisis line for all
kinds of issues, and it youknow, there are a lot of people
who call who are in suicidal distress. But oftentimes people call and they're just
(10:56):
feeling sad, they're just feeling hopeless, they're just feeling down and they don't
know what to do, and oftentimesthey're not comfortable talking to somebody in their
life, or if they've tried,somebody in their life has inadvertently dismissed them
and said, oh, everything willbe fine tomorrow, or you have nothing
to worry about. You'll be okay, versus Wow, you so I'm really
(11:18):
down today, you know I'm concernedabout you. Let's talk and just listen.
Listening is so powerful for somebody whois in a crisis, because oftentimes
they're told what to do or whatto think or how not to do something,
and people aren't really listening to whythey're even in the pain that they're
in. No, it doesn't help. And so by calling nine to eight
(11:39):
eight, they will get a compassionate, well trained counselor who will actively listen
to the concerns and the pain,whatever that may be that they're experiencing,
and they'll talk them through it.They'll assess their safety, they'll assess their
risk, they'll provide some resources andhere from that person, what has worked
(12:01):
for you in the past, youknow what kind of coping skills, things
of that nature. So it's neverus providing advice, it's us listening on
nine eight eight and helping the callerdetermine what's best going to work for them
and getting them connected to the resourcesthat they may need that they didn't know
about. Knowing that nine eighty eightis where you can turn and fully trust
(12:22):
in the person on the other sidewho is going to give you that that
ear time. No matter what dramaticcraziness you're going through, it's okay to
do a little dumping and let itall out and cry it out and just
explode, so to speak, ina way that hopefully will lead to some
resolve, in a way that couldyou open the door to getting you down
(12:43):
a healthier road, a healthier pathand getting some help that you may need.
With all of the services that youoffer, I mean, it's important
to let people know that sometimes issuesare bigger than them and that there are
medications available that could help or moreintense in person therapy on a regular basis.
So much help is available, exactly, and especially nowadays, there's all
(13:05):
different types of not only treatment,but ways to receive the treatment. So
a lot of folks are doing remotework and you can do telehealth, meaning
you see you know, through zoom, you can see a therapist if you're
not able to get into the officein person. Of course, in person
is also offered. Yes, thereare treatments available, their combination of treatments
(13:28):
that can be suggested you know,by a therapist or doctor depending on what
the situation is that will improve thesituation. You know, the main thing
is for people just to reach outand know that they're not alone, that
there is help, and that dayHirsch is here. We're waiting for you
to call and this isn't help.And this is for everybody. This is
(13:48):
for teens, men, women,veterans, it's for everybody. We get
a you know, last year wetook about close to one hundred and sixty
seven thousand calls, chat and texton nine to eight eight and it's incredible
the amount of people that are callingand just reaching out for help and meeting
(14:09):
somebody to talk to. And absolutelywe serve all ages. We have had
as young as an eight year oldcaller crisis line, We've had as old
as a ninety six year old callorcrisis line, every background that you can
think of, LGBTQ, veterans,everybody. We want this to be a
line that anybody can call. Andour counselors are the most incredible compassionate people
(14:33):
I've personally ever met in my life. That they come in every day and
answer those calls from people, andyou know, oftentimes people will say,
wow, this is really hard work. How do you know stay upbeat and
not get depressed doing this work.And it's because of the callers, and
(14:54):
it's because of our counselors and knowingthat we are making an impact and that
sometimes somebody just needs to be heardand connected and to not feel alone,
and that makes all the difference insomebody's life, and it could be the
difference between life and death. Absolutelysure people are aware of that resource.
And when you call ninety eight toreach out for help with any mental health
crisis or thoughts of suicide, youcan get help in Spanish and another languages.
(15:18):
Yeah, we offer it twenty fourseventh Spanish as well, and we
definitely have some other languages. Wehave translation services, so we can serve
anybody who calls ninety eight eight,And we want people to know that we're
here to answer no matter what timeof day, no matter what they're going
through, or if you're concerned aboutsomebody, you can also call as well.
(15:39):
You can call, you can text, you can reach out online.
Yes, you can text ninety eighteight, and oftentimes the younger folks are
texting us. Obviously, our texthave increased, text and chats have increased
three hundred percent since ninety eight eightwent active, so it's got up quite
a bit. But yes, youcan just text nine to eight eight,
or if you want to chat online, you can go to nine eight eight
(16:00):
lifeline dot org slash chat and enterin through their portal and then you'll be
able to chat as well. Soagain you can call ninety eight, you
can text ninety eight, you canchat online at ninety eight lifeline dot org
slash chat And then I've driven bymany times, Lynn, you have a
suicide prevention center on Olympic Boulevard.They're right by the Westfield Century City where
(16:22):
anyone can walk in the door andget help in person immediately. Yeah,
And we intentionally picked that location andput a big sign on the outside of
the building that said Suicide Prevention Centerbecause we wanted to make sure we were
erasing the stigma around suicide and wantedpeople to know where to go to get
help. And we have had peoplewalk in off the street into our building
(16:45):
between individuals. We even had thelocal fire department over there walk in at
one point because they had lost afirefighter to suicide and they walked in asking
for a help. So we wantpeople to see the sign, We want
people to know that help is outthere. We also want to destigmatize that,
to know that we can talk aboutsuicide a mental health issue, just
as you would walk into a doctor'soffice or a cancer center and not be
(17:10):
ashamed of that and know that youare getting help for your mind, for
your body. And that's what's mostimportant, so that people don't not get
help because they're ashamed of it.So many ways to help, and there's
two of those rights there, onein Orange County as well. We do.
We have a location in Orange Countyas well as the one that you
mentioned on Olympic in Century City.So many ways to get help, and
(17:32):
of course we would love to seeyou in person if you're able to make
it to their annual twenty fifth annualAlive Together Uniting to Prevent Suicide. Such
a powerful morning it will be onOctober first, Exposition Park to see thousands
coming together to walk the number ofmiles two one hundred and sixty, which
equates the number of lives lost eachday to suicide. Who walking those miles
(17:56):
together and solidarity coming together and bethere. I'm just already picturing the hugs
and probably some tears, but likeyou said, hopefully some encouraging tears as
well to say hey, we're hereand we're gonna be here every year and
we're gonna encourage more people the groupsto grow and celebrate life and let people
know that in their darkest days wecan make it through to the other side
(18:18):
and let us help you. Wewant to help you get there. Absolutely,
I cannot say that better in myself. So yes, we're very much
looking forward to the event and itis a place where people come together to
connect and you know, it's ahopeful day and it ends up being a
very fun day in a way tohonor those we've lost in honors who are
in honor those who are still here. And make sure you sign up beforehand
before you show up for the walkDdhirsch dot org, d IDI HI r
(18:42):
SC dot org and a call ortext nine eight eight. If you're hurting
and going through some stuff, youneed someone to listen, You need someone
to be there for you. Theyare They're waiting right now. Nine eight
eight. Lynn Morris, Ddhurst MentalHealth Services, thank you so much for
all that you do to help people. Absolutely absolutely, and thank you so
(19:03):
much, Lisa for being an advocatefor mental health and suicide prevention and helping
us erase this stigma and support oursuicide Prevention Center. So thank you so much,
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