Calls to Crisis and Suicide Prevention Hotlines Surge Post-Election

It has been obvious that people are upset. The depth of the problem seems to be quantifiable as well. It is more than just people whining their candidate lost.

CNN
(If you don't like CNN, this has been reported by Time, ABC News, The Washington Post, Inquisitr, The Daily Caller, etc.)

In the wee hours of November 9, when the US presidential race approached its stunning end, John Draper and those he works with saw a different surprising result. The phone lines at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline lit up in a way not seen before.

Between 1 and 2 a.m. alone, Draper said, the national network fielded 660 calls. The volume was two to three times what it had been, and that was on a night when calls were already on a dramatic upswing, increasing as polls closed and returns came in, the lifeline's director said.

John Draper has worked in the suicide prevention field for 25 years. He says he has never seen anything like it after an election. There was a surge in calls after 9/11. There was a surge in calls after the suicide of Robin Williams, that one being due to the promotion of the phone number in the aftermath of that. There was no such advertising campaign recently.

Calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which includes a network of more than 160 crisis centers, have since leveled off. But that's not the case for other services.

There is a Suicide text Line. Those in crisis text with counselors.

On an average day, this crisis line sees about 1,000 texters. From 7 a.m. Tuesday to Wednesday morning, that number jumped to 2,000. Then, from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, it continued to climb to 4,000.

The LGBTQ community is also scared. I have seen people wonder why and say nothing will change. The sheer upswing in numbers of LGBTQ callers to these lines has increased monumentally.

The spokeswoman for the Crisis text Line says

that "election" and "scared" were the top two words mentioned by texters in the 24 hours after the election. And the phrase most commonly associated with "scared" was "LGBTQ."

This is not a small amount of people.

Another Crisis and Suicide Prevention organization, The Trevor Project, has seen it's numbers of contacts increase. The Trevor Project is the largest organization that provides this service, nationally, to LGBTQ youth. Last year they had 54,000 contacts by phone, online chat or text.

The normal call volume, Mendelsohn said, doubled as a result of the election and has stayed constant. He said more than 95% of those reaching out have talked about the election."It's been ongoing since Tuesday night," he explained. "Young people are calling us who've never called us before. They're scared, and they don't know who to turn to. ... Given all the rhetoric that they've heard leading up to the election, it makes sense that they're frightened."

After the election, the call numbers were 70% higher than after the Pulse Nightclub shootings.

The smaller Trans Lifeline normally takes 50-60 calls a day. Since the election, it is now 500 per day.

These are not whiny snowflakes. They are people in fear of their lives. John Draper, from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline has this advice:

If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, no matter what the trigger, these national services exist to provide people with support and the reminder that they are not alone.

I have been appalled by posts on this very site that ask why are people so angry? So unhappy? Why are they protesting? People post videos of grown people crying at the election results and make fun of them. They are called whiny snowflakes, probably at the rate of once every 10 minutes. Any argument to anything, no matter how small is met with a wall of derision. It was bad before the election and is now worse, by far.

This has not been a normal election and it is not just sour grapes. This country elected someone that for no logical reason made people feel bad. He insulted women, the disabled and minorities. He has caused such fear in average people, that they are calling suicide prevention lines of all types, most for the first time in their lives.

originally posted by: reldra
It has been obvious that people are upset.

Wow!! I'm not upset. Not upset at all.

a reply to: Deplorable

Thank you for your substantial contribution.

If the outcome of a us election is enough to make some people want to off themselves.

They don't have the mental faculties to even vote to begin with.

Maybe there should be a mandatory waiting period,and mandatory background checks to vote.

After all some people just can't 'handle' it.

It is glaringly obvious that some people have far too much of themselves invested in the outcome of an election.

Seriously, if you feel like you need to die just because your preferred candidate did not get elected, you have serious mental/emotional health issues.

And, no, this is not Trump's fault or mine or anyone else's.

originally posted by: neo96
If the outcome of a us election is enough to make some people want to off themselves.

They don't have the mental faculties to even vote to begin with.

Maybe there should be a mandatory waiting period,and mandatory background checks to vote.

After all some people just can't 'handle' it.

It is the first one that has caused this. I don't think it speaks to their intellectual ability to be able to vote.

OMFG

This generation has NO IDEA what a real crisis is. They have all lived such relatively protected lives compared to past generations that if something goes against their FEELINGS the suicide hotlines light up.

Imagine if Pearl Harbor happened now? Japan could have just marched to Washington because people would be hiding in their fricken 'safe zones' telling Americans that it is racist to oppose the Japanese.

Time to stop the panty wringing, grow up and DEAL with reality.

People have totally lost touch with how #n easy we, as Americans, have life.

originally posted by: ketsuko
It is glaringly obvious that some people have far too much of themselves invested in the outcome of an election.

Seriously, if you feel like you need to die just because your preferred candidate did not get elected, you have serious mental/emotional health issues.

And, no, this is not Trump's fault or mine or anyone else's.

I stated that it was not just about one's candidate losing. Trump's hateful rhetoric played a direct part in this.

originally posted by: stosh64
OMFG

This generation has NO IDEA what a real crisis is.

These were people of all ages.

originally posted by: reldra

originally posted by: neo96
If the outcome of a us election is enough to make some people want to off themselves.

They don't have the mental faculties to even vote to begin with.

Maybe there should be a mandatory waiting period,and mandatory background checks to vote.

After all some people just can't 'handle' it.

It is the first one that has caused this. I don't think it speaks to their intellectual ability to be able to vote.

So are you an election historian, and followed every election since George Washington ?

Please.

Yall don't have to like the outcome of the 2016 election, but yall do have to deal with it.

a reply to: reldra

I disagree. The medias bias and spin exponentially made Trumps quips far more damaging that his original words.

And liberal educators and therapists thought it was the wave of the future to drug our kids....

Welcome to the aftermath.

originally posted by: neo96

originally posted by: reldra

originally posted by: neo96
If the outcome of a us election is enough to make some people want to off themselves.

They don't have the mental faculties to even vote to begin with.

Maybe there should be a mandatory waiting period,and mandatory background checks to vote.

After all some people just can't 'handle' it.

It is the first one that has caused this. I don't think it speaks to their intellectual ability to be able to vote.

So are you an election historian, and followed every election since George Washington ?

Please.

Yall don't have to like the outcome of the 2016 election, but yall do have to deal with it.

This is based on statistics from the time The National Suicide Prevention line started. So, obviously, I am not going back to George Washington.

It is not about liking or not. This thread is about statistics showing the greatly increased of number who express thoughts of suicide following an election.

a reply to: reldra

Oh please. I didn't end up wanting to commit suicide because Obama called me a bitter clinger and then legions of lefties kept that up. Do you have any idea that amount of mockery and nasty things I've been called for daring to be conservative and open about it?

They have no idea what real pain is.

originally posted by: JinMI
a reply to: reldra

I disagree. The medias bias and spin exponentially made Trumps quips far more damaging that his original words.

I heard Trump saying the actual words. They were bad enough with or without spin.

originally posted by: EternalShadow
And liberal educators and therapists thought it was the wave of the future to drug our kids....

Welcome to the aftermath.

Again, these were callers of all ages.

a reply to: reldra

After seeing all the Trump threads and the trolling,I might have to call the suicide hotline soon too...and I'm Canadian!!

A silly example but not too far off....TRUMP GOES FISHING,FISH CLAIMS SEXUAL ASSAULT!!

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: reldra

Oh please. I didn't end up wanting to commit suicide because Obama called me a bitter clinger and then legions of lefties kept that up. Do you have any idea that amount of mockery and nasty things I've been called for daring to be conservative and open about it?

They have no idea what real pain is.

I am sure they will appreciate you feel your pain is greater. Or it isn't, as you did not have suicidal thoughts. It is either one.

a reply to: ketsuko

Michael Savage was right... liberalism is a mental disorder.

The post election melt downs of libs and SJWs should have any sane Democrat questioning what it is they stand for.

a reply to: reldra

Except they really weren't. The poll held on Nov. 8 would confirm that theory.