IOPList.Org

Suicide, help hotline calls soar in 
Southern California over coronavirus anxieties


Financial stress, social isolation, health concerns fuel 
explosion of callers seeking support; 
teens hit particularly hard


Counselors at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services answer calls from individuals in crisis 
at their Los Angeles call center. Calls about COVID-19 anxieties to their crisis lines 
increased from 22 in February to 1,800 in March. 
(Photo courtesy of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services)

By DEEPA BHARATH
PUBLISHED: April 19, 2020 at 6:30 a.m


When Carolyn Levitan answered the phone, she heard the voice of a 
man having a full-blown anxiety attack about possibly having 
contracted coronavirus.

He was speaking rapidly. He was worried he had it, and feared 
giving it to family members. He wondered if it would be alright 
for him to pet his dog. And then he worried about dying and 
leaving behind family because he knew others who had 
died from the virus.

These are the types of panic-stricken calls Levitan has been 
taking as crisis line director at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services 
in Los Angeles. Didi Hirsch is one of three centers in the nation 
that takes calls on the suicide hotline as well the national 
Disaster Distress Helpline that operates around the clock to 
help victims of natural and man-made disasters deal with 
emotional and mental health issues.

In February, Levitan and her colleagues — 70 full-time staff members 
and 215 volunteers — took 22 calls on the suicide and 
disaster helplines related to coronavirus. In March, that number 
soared to 1,800 calls — more than an 8,000% increase.

Losing hope during the pandemic

What’s even more concerning is that a lot of the callers were already having suicidal thoughts, Levitan said.

“Suicidal thoughts stem from a sense of hopelessness, helplessness, 
or lack of plans or goals for the future,” she said. 
“The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated those feelings 
in people. If things felt bad before, they can really feel 
hopeless in today’s environment.”

Levitan said she was able to calm down the anxious man who 
called about a week ago by getting him to “focus on the here and now,” 
as she does with others in a similar predicament. 
Like the woman in her 90s who hadn’t eaten or drank water 
all day because she was upset about not being able to go to 
church on Easter Sunday or see her friends and family.

“I talk to them about what they can do today to take care 
of themselves,” she said. “Do you want to lie down and take a nap? 
Do you want to watch a YouTube video? When we take 
little steps, it can make what feels like an insurmountable 
situation more manageable.”

The man Levitan talked to decided he would take some time 
to himself to calm down, and the elderly woman agreed to get 
something to eat and talk to a few friends over the phone.

Levitan says that while a lot of these people who call in 
crisis mode don’t talk about suicidal thoughts, they could 
become suicidal if they don’t get timely support.


Ramping up for worse

Didi Hirsch, which operates 10 locations in Los Angeles and 
Orange counties, is hiring and training more staff members to 
take these hotline calls from remote locations because of 
social distancing measures.

Other agencies also are ramping up for a significant increase in 
the volume of calls to suicide and mental health hotlines.

Riverside County’s crisis and suicide helpline also has experienced 
an increase in virus-related calls, said Rebecca Antillon, 
a program coordinator with the county Public Health Department 
who also runs its teen suicide awareness and prevention program.

“We’ve also seen a complexity of calls — individuals experiencing 
economic stress, social isolation and increases in domestic violence 
or abuse. At the same time, there is a decrease in access to 
community and religious support.”

Antillon said she expects the call volumes to increase as the 
response to COVID-19 continues and social distancing 
mandates remain in place.

“We’re certainly looking for ways to ramp up resources 
and preparation,” she said.

With school campuses closed, the county has moved its teen 
suicide awareness and prevention efforts online, Antillon said. 
In addition, the county has opened up a dedicated 
support line (951-955-7015) for front-line health-care workers, 
essential workers such as grocery store employees and 
first-responders who may be struggling emotionally and need help.

The county’s mental health helpline (CARES) currently has 12 staff 
members to answer phones and refer callers for care to the 
Riverside University Health System’s contracted community provider 
outpatient clinics, said Thomas Peterson, a spokesman for the 
health system’s behavioral health division.

During the pandemic, the CARES line has as many as eight additional 
clinicians on site to help with increases in call volumes, he said.
The call system also allows some staff members to work at home.

Helping vulnerable populations

While people in all age groups are struggling, this can be a tough time 
for teenagers in particular, said Michelle Carlson, executive director 
of Teen Line, a Los Angeles-based national and 
international helpline for teens.

“In this environment, family relationships is the number one reason 
youth are contacting us,” she said. “Young people are experiencing 
huge increases in stress, anxiety and loneliness. We’re also seeing 
a significant increase in child abuse reports. It’s very concerning.”

Teen Line is manned by 145 trained youth volunteers who are now 
taking calls, under supervision, remotely through Zoom, Carlson said. 
The majority of the call volume consists of texts and emails from 
countries as far away as India, Australia and South Africa, she said.

“The most important thing right now is to approach your kids with 
empathy,” Carlson said. “They are dealing with their own losses — not 
being able to see friends or participate in school events like sports, 
prom or graduation. This time is not normal and it’s OK to acknowledge that.”

Parents can be more relaxed when it comes to schedules and 
engage youth in fun activities such as having a family dance party, 
watching a movie or playing board games, she said.

“And really, the best thing you can do for your kids in these challenging 
times is to listen to them.”

The Trevor Project, a national organization based in Los Angeles that 
serves the LGBTQ community, says the volume of youth reaching out to 
their crisis services programs has more than doubled since the 
pandemic began, spokesman Rob Todaro said. Mentions of the 
coronavirus have increased by more than 60 times over the past month, 
now comprising a quarter of crisis services conversations 
with LGBTQ youth, he said.

An unintended consequence of physical distancing is the potential loss 
of the social connections that protect LGBTQ youth from 
suicidal tendencies, Todaro said.

Coping with the crisis

When people are faced with a change that is unrelenting, monumental 
and affecting different aspects of their lives, it is natural for them to 
become stressed and anxious, said Jay Kumar, director of contemplative 
practices and well-being at the Fish Interfaith Center at 
Chapman University in Orange.

Kumar said there are steps everyone can take to overcome such anxieties.

“Take comfort in routine and regularity,” he said. “Stick to the time when 
you wake up. Keep your lunch break. Make your gym time your workout time.”

It’s also important to connect to friends and family by harnessing 
technology, Kumar said.

“One thing I do for my colleagues is have a weekly check-in,” he said. 
“It can certainly help to hit the pause button because we’re constantly 
bombarded with information and news from the media. Finally, be 
compassionate to yourself and others — be it grocery store clerks or 
your loved ones.”

On Thursday, April 16, Kumar kicked off a free, weekly 
webinar series titled “Healthy Brain, Healthy Mind,” offering advice and 
tools to promote emotional and mental well-being in the time of COVID-19. 
The next webinar, from 3-4 p.m. April 23, will focus on ways to 
manage work, family and life while self-isolating.

Adjusting and adapting

While there is no current data indicating a rise in suicides, suicide rates 
historically have increased after economic downturns in the last century, 
said Kita Curry, president and CEO of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.

“In a crisis, people are focused on basic needs like toilet paper, groceries 
and staying healthy,” she said. “So they might not be thinking about ending 
their lives. But as the economic struggles persist and long after we start 
going to concerts and the movies, high suicide risk factors remain because 
a lot of people would have suffered significant losses during the pandemic. 
When you don’t know how to get your job back or house back, it’s erosive 
in terms of your mental health.”

The coronavirus pandemic is different from almost all other natural disasters 
because the counselors who are handling calls are experiencing the same 
kinds of worries and anxieties as their callers, Levitan said.

“We always debrief after calls and take care of our staff,” she said. “We tell 
people if they feel unsafe, they shouldn’t come in. I feel blessed to be able 
to go in to the office and having that social connection with one another 
while maintaining the physical distance. We turn to one another a lot for 
support. This is the first time we’re all taking calls about what we’re 
experiencing as well.”

Employees who do come in to the office take their temperatures before 
entering their workplace, wear masks and sanitize their work stations.

“We have emergency plans for when our buildings burn down,” Levitan said. 
“But, we never foresaw a situation where you would not be able to take 
calls anywhere except your home. We’re adapting quickly, even training 
people remotely.”

They are ready for increases in call volumes, she said.




Crisis lines and resources

Teen Line: 
1-800-852-8336 or text “TEEN” to 839863

The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386,
via chat every day at TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or
by texting “START” to 678678

Didi Hirsch crisis counselor: 
1-800-273-8255

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 
1-800-273-8255

National Disaster Distress Helpline: 
1-800-985-5990

Riverside County Suicide Helpline: 
951-686-HELP (4357)

Riverside University Health System Behavioral Health: 
CARES Line (1-800-706-7500); Substance Use CARES Line (1-800-499-3008);
dedicated crisis line for health-care workers, essential workers and first-responders (951-955-7015).