Struggling with Your Mental Health? Call 988

Prioritizing and protecting one’s mental health is critical to aging well, but mental health remains one of the biggest blockers to healthy aging. Throughout the aging process, older adults may encounter circumstances such social isolation, loneliness, abuse, and neurological conditions that can greatly affect their mental health. Dementia and other neurological conditions can trigger or worsen existing mental health conditions. 

Launched on July 16, 2022, the 988 lifeline phone number maintained by the County of Santa Clara exists for individuals “to call in times of mental health or substance use crisis, with teams of trained counselors available 24/7 to offer support by phone or an in-person response” (santaclaracounty.gov). The 998 program was born out of the desire to take a compassionate approach to providing support to people who may find themselves in desperate situations. While every caller’s situation is unique, some examples include anxiety, substance use crisis, or suicidal thoughts.  

Santa Clara County’s 998 line is part of a national network called 988 Lifeline. Since the launch of the federal program in 2022, there have been 14,015,833 contacts and over 9 million calls. For Santa Clara County, the 998 lifeline provides a coordinated point of entry into both County Behavioral Health Services and community-based organizations focused on supporting callers in mental or emotional distress.  

The service is completely free, anonymous, and confidential, and interpreters are available in over 200 languages. It’s important to remember that you are never alone, and help is always a call away.