U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton's National Suicide Hotline Act Set For Launch

SALEM, MA — A national suicide prevention hotline proposed as part of legislation U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Salem) introduced in 2019 is set to launch this weekend.

The new 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which goes live on Saturday, will allow Americans experiencing a mental health crisis or who are concerned about the mental health of a loved one to get rapid, free, trained and confidential help with an easy-to-remember three-number hotline.

"The shorter dialing code of 9-8-8 will help save lives and increase the accessibility to this life-saving resource," said Kimberly Williams, President and CEO of Vibrant Emotional Health.

Moulton, who has said he suffered through post-traumatic stress after his service in the Iraq War, introduced the bill along with Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah three years ago. The legislation passed Congress with bipartisan support and was signed into law in October 2020.

"We set out to create a three-digit mental health hotline because every American needs to know it is okay to reach out for help, and we need to know how to get that help if we are in need," Moulton said in a statement to Patch. "Just as we all know to call 9-1-1 if our house is on fire, we will soon be able to call 9-8-8 if we or our loved ones are experiencing a mental health crisis.

"Too many Americans die by suicide each year because they just don't know how to get help. 9-8-8 will change that — it will save lives on day one."

In advance of the launch, suicide prevention advocates advise the continued use of 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for immediate help and counseling.

According to the National Mental Health Alliance, suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for young people in the country.

Along with the hotline, Moulton also pushed for mandatory mental health checkups for service members who saw combat as part of the amended National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.

Moulton said the goal of the hotline, mandatory mental health checkups and other similar initiatives is to break the stigma and expand mental health resources to young people and Americans outside of the military.

"When I disclosed my own struggles with post-traumatic stress after I served as a Marine in Iraq, my hope was that it would encourage more people to feel comfortable getting the help they need," Moulton said. "I'm proud that it will now be much easier for Americans to do just that."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)