News 12’s Elizabeth Hashagen was joined this morning by Caroline Poland, a mental health counselor, certified clinical trial professional and founder and CEO of Poland Associates consulting, and Kelly Canzone, a clinical social worker for and CEO of Tri-County Behavioral Care, to talk about the new suicide hotline, mental health and ways to get help.

It’s estimated that more than 11 million adults have serious, suicidal thoughts. Now, people can get help by dialing 988, a new suicide prevention and mental help hotline. The new hotline connects callers with trained crisis contact center staff who can help people experiencing mental health crises around the clock. Caroline Poland talks about the accessibility that this new hotline offers to callers: 

An estimated 11.4 million adults have serious suicidal thoughts, according to a 2022 State of Mental Health Report from Mental Health America. That's up 664,000 from last year's data. Nearly 5% of adults report having serious thoughts of suicide, a figure that has increased every year since 2011, they said. It's expected the overall number of calls to the hotline will balloon from 2.3 million a year to more than 13 million within five years. Poland has more on why there has been such an increase: 

As a result of the pandemic, many people are working from home with kids. Experts have tips for your mental health while working from home:

Chronic, or long-term stress, on the other hand, begs a mega-sized toolbox of coping skills. Symptoms of chronic stress run the gamut from headaches to gastrointestinal issues. Over time, chronic stress may lead to memory problems or difficulties with thinking or concentration. It is important to know the signs:

MORE: New 988 mental health hotline goes live across the country