Oct 20, 2008 4:39 pm US/Pacific
Financial Crisis Increasing Suicide Hotline Calls
Arezow Doost
DALLAS (CBS) ―
Much of the financial crisis story is told in numbers, but it also takes an emotional toll. The ups and downs of the stock market are stressing people out, even causing some to consider suicide.
The activity on Wall Street is helping keep local mental health experts busy.
Texas mental health professionals say many of the people calling them have reached their breaking point. It's keeping hotlines jammed and the voices on the other end are increasingly desperate.
The phones are constantly ringing at the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas. Michael, a volunteer who didn't want to give his last name, is one of about 100 volunteers answering phones.
With nowhere else to turn many people are calling suicide-prevention hotlines. "It's very scary," explained Margie Wright, the Executive Director of Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas. "People pick up the newspaper, watch the television and all they hear is bad news and people are afraid and when they are afraid they go into crisis."
According to Wright, the center's calls have increased by up to 15-percent.
Callers range from those who have lost their jobs, to those fighting to keep their homes. "What they need is assurance that the world is not going to end," Michael said.
The North Texas crisis center gets up to 400 calls a day. And with the holiday's right around the corner workers there expect that number to go up even more. Wright says callers are already trying to figure out what they're going to do for Christmas and where they're going to get money to buy toys.
While the center doesn't give advice, volunteers try to find ways to help callers improve their coping skills. They also encourage people to reach out to family and friends and not be afraid to ask for help.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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