Election night suicide hotline calls reference results

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Calls to crisis and suicide prevention lines surged nationwide following the election of Donald Trump, as stress and fear set in for many Americans who worry what his presidency could mean for the country.

The Huffington Post reports that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline saw calls increase by 140 percent between the hours of 1 and 2 a.m. on Election Night.

While the Clark County Crisis Line, a service of the county’s Community Services department, did not see a similar surge on election night, Erin Hayes, a relationship ProtoCall Services, notes other trends. ProtoCall Services is a national provider for telephonic behavioral health services.

On election night, the Clark County line received 18 calls. That’s about average night to night, Hayes said, but on election night, 8 calls referenced the election.

Hayes also notes that the line has seen an overall 30 percent increase in call volume from a year ago. Whether that relates to the election is uncertain, but “it is a hypothesis we have,” she said.

“In general, our call center felt a major surge for all of our customers on Tuesday evening with an overwhelming majority of those calls being related to the election,” Hayes said. “This is for all of our customers across the US.”

The Clark County Crisis Line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and takes calls from children and adults. Professional counselors can be reached through the service by calling 800-626-8137 or 360-696-9560.