If you have a therapist, why would you need a crisis hotline?

That's been the thinking around the use of crisis hotlines - that they exist as a safety net for people who don't access another mental health resource on a regular basis.

But, it turns out that a lot of the people who use crisis hotlines, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1.800.273.TALK/8255), do have therapists. The hotline is there when the therapist can't be.

Also, the person on the other end answering the phone doesn't know you. That anonymity - plus the all-hours-of-the-night access - has made hotlines a real resource for people struggling, not just with suicidal thoughts, but with day-to-day mental health crises.

Crisis hotlines work from the underlying principle that non-judgmental listening can help someone work through a heightened emotional state, see options more clearly, and make some decisions about how to move forward. Often crisis hotlines are thought of as an in-between step. If someone calls a hotline but needs more intensive care, a hotline worker may encourage that person to go to a hospital, or may even dispatch emergency medical services to the caller's location.