Local mental health experts explain upward trends in crisis line calls, resource use

Editor’s note: In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

Between October 2024 and October 2025, over 50% more calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line were answered in Ohio.

Since the crisis line was signed into law in 2020 with the passage of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, call data shows the number of calls both received and answered in-state has steadily risen each year.

In 2021, the first year of available data, the number of calls answered in Ohio in October was 3,109, and the average talk time was 12 minutes and 16 seconds. By October 2023, the number of calls answered in-state had more than doubled, at 6,640, with an average talk time of 14 minutes and 10 seconds.

This October, 14,703 calls to the 988 Lifeline were answered in Ohio.

Local mental health resource experts explained trends in residents’ mental health and possible reasons for the increase in those seeking help.

Butler County trends

Scott Rasmus, executive director of the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board, said in addition to the 988 Lifeline which is regionally collected through Sojourner Recovery Services, residents have access to the Butler County HopeLine under Beckett Springs Hospital.

He said there’s been a general increase in mental illness, which he said is often reflected regionally in anxiety, depression and substance abuse. 

The number of individuals assisted by the county’s mental health and addiction recovery system, which is a contracted network including the Butler County Consultation and Crisis Intervention Center, Access Counseling Services and other providers, increased by nearly 15% between 2021 and 2024, with the latest county report from 2024 showing 43,365 people were supported by the system – about 11% of the county’s population. Rasmus said the increased numbers could also be explained by more people using local resources.

When asked what factors could be contributing to trends in mental health, Rasmus said, “I think there’s a lot of change and stress in society.”

“Anything related to financial issues and problems causes a lot of stress, depression,” he said, “and COVID was traumatic for a lot of people.”

According to the 2024 county report, 74% of cases taken on by the county’s mental health and addiction recovery system fell below the federal poverty level, and over 68% of all cases were of people with an annual income between $0 and $1,000.

Over 52% of cases were of people between the ages of 18 and 44.

Overall, Rasmus said the board has been working to fight stigma related to mental health and mental illness through education and advocacy to reduce fear and concern about seeking treatment. He said there’s a mobile crisis team in the county through the board, as well as syringe exchange programs, and they’re reviewing risk factors related to veteran suicide deaths.

He also brought up a program called Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, which focuses on helping youth up to age 20.

A levy passed last year in Butler County which Rasmus said will bring in around $4 million in total funding to be used to target “key populations” at risk of suicide and overdose, veterans, youth, families and senior citizens.

Oxford trends

Dr. Kip Alishio, facilitator for the Coalition for a Healthy Community Oxford Area mental health work group and a semi-retired psychologist, said as the 988 Lifeline was created to coordinate existing local hotlines, it may have taken several years for locals to begin using the new number. He said this could explain the upward trend in calls as people learn to use the unified line.

“This is not necessarily … reflecting a tremendous increase in mental health crises among the population,” he said, adding he feels trends locally have plateaued. “It still does reflect that there’s a lot of need in the community.”

He said the coalition began working to reduce stigma surrounding mental health resources when it was first created and eventually moved to increasing access to help. One way it’s done this is by creating an Oxford Mental Health Guide that lists providers in the area, information about insurance coverage, crisis services and other resources. 

Alishio said, as providers moved to telehealth during the COVID pandemic, a broader range of therapists became available. 

Now, he said he believes there are a few populations which are still at risk as they’re harder to connect with. One of those groups is veterans, and the rural population is also less inclined to use local services, he said. 

He said seniors on Medicare are underserved, as there are few Medicare providers in Oxford, and there are few child therapists, although school-based mental health programs have taken on some of the load.

Alishio said the coalition is attempting to reach those groups through online services.

Miami student trends

Dr. John Ward, a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of student counseling at Miami University, said “the marketing of resources such as 988 is getting people connected in a way that we haven’t been able to connect folks with services before.”

At the university level, he said there are more students reaching out for support than in the past, but said he is unsure whether to attribute this to Miami’s general ramping-up of services, access to the MUHOPE crisis text line or sustained efforts to increase the number of clinicians available. He was unable to provide exact data to the Oxford Free Press.

Ward said social media could be impacting students’ mental health in terms of how they view their own self worth.

“Thirty years ago, folks weren’t as tied to having a phone in their pocket,” he said. “It didn’t really exist 30 years ago where everyone had news right there on the ready, whether it’s from major news outlets or from social media outlets, and just being bombarded from the time that one wakes up until the time that one goes to bed with news and information.”

Dr. Jennifer Young, a licensed psychologist and the associate director for community engagement at Student Counseling Services, said current political rhetoric may also be impacting mental health.

“Right now in the world and in our country, there’s a lot of divisive talk and conversation happening at the governmental level, or here locally, too, and so that’s extra stress and pressure on people’s minds,” she said. 

Ohio Senate Bill 1 banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities, which Young said Miami’s staff has observed as contributing to a “reduced sense of belonging for some students,” although student organizations may still host activities for underrepresented students themselves. She said she saw students impacted by the death of political activist Charlie Kirk, as well, as they felt they were hearing an “us versus them” rhetoric.

Ward said an increased demand in services, pre-pandemic, was the “catalyst” for the increase in services Miami has tried to provide, which was higher than it had seen.

He said in addition to the crisis line, Miami has invested in resources and apps like Welltrack Boost, which allows students to log-in and use tools taught in therapy sessions.

“What we’ve tried to do as an institution is think more holistically about all the different ways someone might seek services, or they might be interested in getting the help and support and try to build our services and resources for students in as many different ways as possible,” he said.