Economy has more calling the Crisis Line
BAXTER - A white-collared executive may have never thought that he would one day call the Crisis Line and Referral Service, a 24-hour help line for people in crisis.
That day came sometime this year after he lost his job. The man, who was the sole breadwinner of a family of four, didn't know what to do. So he called the Crisis Line for help.
This type of call has become quite common at the Crisis Line because of today's faltering economy, Mary Marana, Crisis Line executive director, said Tuesday at her office in the CTC building in Baxter.
Marana said the Crisis Line, which serves residents in Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties, has seen an increase in its calls this year because of the economy.
Mary Marana, Crisis Line and Referral Service executive director, wiped a tear from her eye Tuesday after discussing the spike in the number of calls for help from people suffering as a result of the faltering economy.
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"The call volume is at its peak and so is the severity of the calls we receive," said Marana. "There is a lot of hopelessness out there and it's from every walk of life, from the white-collared workers to people losing their homes to single parents struggling. This economy is not helping and, with all the foreclosures, it is hurting us because people are moving out of the community because they lost their job or their home and they can't rent because they have bad credit."
Calls into the Crisis Line stayed steady from January through May this year, but began to increase in June. In May, there were 179 calls; June, 200; July, 229; August, 280; and September, 291 calls. As of mid-November, there were 2,238 calls. Last year there was a total of 2,350 calls. Marana said the average number of calls a month has been around 205.
The time of the calls also are getting longer and more intense, Marana said. In 2007, the average time was four minutes, nine seconds. This year, the average time was five minutes, seven seconds.
Marana said people call the Crisis Line primarily because of mental health or family issues, depression, sexual or physical abuse, chemical dependency or suicidal thoughts.
Marana said the peak time of day for calls is between 12-5 p.m. Through Nov. 22, 349 calls came in between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.; 544 calls between 7 a.m. to noon; 723 calls from 12-5 p.m.; and 622 calls from 5-10 p.m.
"The holidays usually stay pretty quiet," said Marana. "There are more people who're depressed during the holiday but they get through it. People go through the winter blues, all while their credit card debt builds up and their other bills pile up. Then once the weather turns and their depression doesn't, they call the Crisis Line."
Call for help
The Crisis Line and Referral Service telephone number is 828-4357(HELP) or (800) 462-5525.
All calls are confidential.
Marana said there are 52 volunteers who answer Crisis Line calls. She said volunteers, who answer the calls at their home, go through six hours of training and complete three continuing education classes per year.
"These volunteers are incredible," said Marana. "They are people like you and me who want to give back. They're a mix of people from students, people who work and retired people. I figured it out and if we had to hire people to answer calls we'd have to pay out $162,489. These people do it as volunteers."
Marana said the Crisis Line collaborates with organizations such as Northern Pines Mental Health Center with the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, Bridges of Hope and the Crisis Nursery in Crow Wing County. Marana said Crisis Line volunteers always have a licensed mental health professional available on call through Northern Pines Mental Health Center. Marana said this year there have been 145 calls that went out to the Mobile Crisis Outreach team since May 19.
Marana said the Crisis Line is always looking for volunteers. People who are interested should call the Crisis Line office at 828-4515. More information about the Crisis Line is available online at www.crisislineandreferralservice.org.