Record surge in calls to Lifeline – more than April peak

Calls to suicide prevention line Lifeline have again hit record numbers – for the second time this year

South Australian calls to Lifeline this month have surged past the previous record demand at the pandemic’s April peak.

And the next two weeks are expected to be among the most difficult for many since the coronavirus first struck.

The suicide prevention line is increasing rosters nationally to meet an expected 40 per cent jump in calls stretching into the new year.

Today is traditionally a tough one for many, as the bulk of services remain closed.

This, coupled with the anniversary of bushfires in the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island, the COVID-19 outbreak in NSW and the devastation it is causing overseas, and a year of worry, uncertainty, upheaval and financial strain, is expected to exacerbate a period known to affect mental health.

Data from Lifeline reveals 324 calls from South Australians were made on December 16, compared to a record 311 on April 4 in week two of the state’s first lockdown.

The Adelaide Lifeline call centre is one of 41 across the nation. Operators said demand for assistance began accelerating about a week before Christmas and was unlikely to drop to normal levels until about January 6.

“We are very aware that the festive season is a time for celebrating and relaxing with friends, but it can also be a very difficult time for people, particularly for those who are isolated from family, are suffering grief and loss and are living with mental illness alone,” Lifeline’s Adelaide services manager for crisis intervention, Joanne Cooley, said.

She said countless lives had “undoubtedly” been saved this year by the dedicated team of SA crisis support workers who operate the phone lines from an undisclosed CBD location, seven days a week.

Crisis support worker Angela works the phones from the metro Adelaide Lifeline call centre during the busiest time of the year – Christmas and New Year. Picture: Tom Huntley

Among those rostered during this peak period is retired nurse Angela, from Adelaide’s southern suburbs, who said this year’s demand has been unparalleled.

She said not only had there been more callers, but the calls for help were more critical.

“There is more intense anxiety and more people crying on the phone,” said Angela, who has worked as a Lifeline crisis support worker for more than six years.

“People are lonely and suicide is such a taboo word that they won’t or can’t ask for help, and then there are those who do (ask for help from others) and are dismissed,” she said.

“If someone you know is lonely, reach out. If someone says they don’t want to be here anymore, listen, because it is real. Take it seriously and ask ‘Are you okay?’.”