9-8-8: Hotline provides help for those facing mental health crisis

It's sad to listen to Rick Mogil as he describes how his brother Ed Mogil "drove to the coast, checked into a motel" and died by suicide. 

That was in 2003, long before there was a 9-8-8 national lifeline. 

Rep. Tony Cardenas says the 988 number will give people facing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts to turn to for help.

"Calls can be made by the person having the crisis or a loved one or a neighbor that can say, 'Hey, she needs help… he needs help," Rep. Cardenas said.

Rep. Cardenas was at the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Agency to promote 988 and campaign for more long-term funding to make sure it lasts a long time.

After a month in operation, Rep. Cardenas says, "it's made a difference. The call volume is up." 

Rep. Cardenas points to the fact that 988 didn't exist so the call volume on the local 800 numbers or national numbers are all now in one network and that call volume is up. 

"What that means is our government needs to step up to find the funding mechanism to make sure that people can hire more professionals to make sure when someone calls they're going to get the help they need," he said.

One of those who answer calls at the Didi Hirsch Call Center is Karla Zenteno. She's been trying to help talk people to safety for six years and she says she's helped a lot. 

"I believe 90% of our callers are able to stay safe for today and then the ones that present high risk then we're able to dispatch emergency services for them," she said. 

For example, Los Angeles County has psychiatric mobile response units that can be dispatched with a mental health team to respond when needed.

The hope is that 988 will become as easy to remember as 9-1-1.

Back to the tragic case of 48-year-old Ed Mogil. When asked if 988 could have made a difference in his brother's case Rick Mogil says, "I don't think so. He was set on ending his pain. There are some people that we just can't reach. If his wife used it.... maybe."