三位数的热线电话在预防自杀上发挥了积极作用

3-Digit Hotlines Have Played An Active Role In Suicide Prevention

三位数的热线电话在预防自杀上发挥了积极作用

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing to launch a new three-digit hotline for people who are feeling suicidal or are going through any other mental health crisis. It recommends making 988 the new national number to call for help, replacing the current 10-digit number.

美国联邦通信委员会计划为有自杀倾向或正经历其他任何精神健康危机的人开通一条新的三位数热线。它建议为新的全国求助电话号码设置为988，取代目前的10位数号码。

The agency presented the idea to Congress in a report earlier this month and is expected to release more information and seek public comment about the proposal in the coming months.

该机构本月早些时候在一份报告中向国会提出了这一想法，预计将在未来几个月发布更多信息，并征求公众对该提议的意见。

Mental health advocates are excited about the proposal. They say it will make it easier for people in crisis to seek help, but caution that effective implementation could be costly, as the move could increase the need for staff to answer calls.

精神健康倡导者对这一提议感到兴奋。他们表示，这对于处在危机中的人们更容易寻求帮助，但他们警告，有效实施（该提议）可能代价高昂，因为此举可能增加工作人员接听电话的需要。

"This is a great idea," says Madelyn Gould, a psychiatrist at Columbia University and an expert on suicide prevention.

“这是个好主意，”哥伦比亚大学精神病学家、自杀预防专家玛德琳·古尔德说。

The current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number — 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255 — can be difficult for people to remember in the midst of a crisis, she says.

她说，目前全国预防自杀生命线的号码是1-800-273-TALK或1-800-273-8255，处于危机的人们可能很难记住。

"People can have a cognitive shutdown or blank, as any of us do, when we can't remember things during times of extreme stress," she says.

她说:“当我们在极度压力下记不住事情的时候，就会像我们所有人一样，出现认知障碍或大脑一片空白。”

Having a three-digit hotline, she says, will "facilitate people's access to care at times when they are in dire need."

她说，拥有一个三位数的热线电话，将“有助于人们在急需时获得医疗服务”。

Her research shows that the current suicide prevention lifeline can save lives — that when people who are feeling suicidal call and talk to someone, they do tend to feel better.

她的研究表明，目前的预防自杀生命线可以挽救生命——当有自杀倾向的人打电话和别人交谈时，他们往往会感觉更好。

And the existing number is being used by a large number of people. In 2018, the lifeline answered more than 2 million calls, up from about 46,000 in 2005, according to the report submitted by the FCC. Gould thinks a three-digit hotline will make it easier for more people to call.

现有的号码正在被大量的人使用。根据联邦通信委员会提交的报告，2018年，这条生命线接听了200多万个电话，高于2005年的4.6万个。古尔德认为，一个三位数的热线电话将使更多的人更容易打电话。

Gould cautions that just launching a new three-digit hotline isn't enough.

古尔德警告说，仅仅开通一个新的三位数热线是不够的。

"The only way this is going to work is if additional services are funded," she says.

她说:“唯一可行的办法是为额外的服务提供资金。”

Calls to the current Suicide Prevention Lifeline are handled by a patchwork of more than 160 crisis centers around the country. Each center has its own — often local, or regional — source of funding, and some centers are better resourced than others. Calls are usually taken by trained volunteers at these crisis centers, although some centers also employ clinicians.

目前，全国有160多个危机处理中心在处理针对自预防杀生命线的电话。每个中心都有自己的资金来源，通常是当地或地区的，而且有些中心的资源比其他中心更好。这些危机中心的电话通常由训练有素的志愿者接听，尽管一些中心也雇佣临床医生。

Allie Franklin, the executive director of Crisis Connections, one of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline centers in Washington, says she expects a surge in calls when the national 988 number becomes available — and that's a good thing.

位于华盛顿的全国自杀预防生命线中心之一的危机联系中心的执行主任艾丽·富兰克林说，她预计当全国988号码接通时，电话量将会激增，这是一件好事。

"But how do we make sure we always have additional funding to make sure we always have someone answering the line?" she asks.

“但是我们如何确保我们总是有额外的资金来确保我们总是有人接听电话呢?”她问道。

If individual crisis centers don't receive additional funding to increase their staff and volunteers, callers might be left waiting, and feeling discouraged and helpless, she adds.

她补充说，如果各个危机中心没有得到额外的资金来增加工作人员和志愿者，打电话的人可能沮丧和无助地等在那里。

The FCC reports that the current system is challenged by "rising call volume and uneven coverage in many states."

美国联邦通信委员会报告说，目前的系统面临着“呼叫量不断增加和许多州覆盖不均”的挑战。

"We know that it's really important for people to get live answers very quickly when they call one of these numbers," says Franklin.

富兰克林说:“我们知道，当人们拨打其中一个号码时，迅速得到实时答案是非常重要的。”

"At Crisis Connections, we strive to answer the line within 30 seconds. And so someone doesn't have to wait for for very long at all before they get a live answer."

“在与危机的连线中，我们努力在30秒内接好电话。所以有些人根本不用等很长时间就能得到一个真实的答案。”

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