Calls about kids in crisis at record high in Tennessee

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo VeRonika Tubbs, a Youth Villages triage counselor based in Nashville, has answered calls through the state's child crisis hotline for six years. / Tony Gonzalez / The Tennessean

Children threatening suicide or in emotional distress have triggered more calls to Tennessee's crisis hot line in recent months than ever before.

Yet what's causing the increase in crisis calls, which often prompt counselors to visit homes, schools or hospitals, remains unclear.

More calls could mean more children are in need -- perhaps because of economic pressures on families -- or simply that more people have learned about the hot line and decided to call, officials said.

Read more at The Tennessean.