988 Suicide Hotline Launches Nationwide

988 Suicide Hotline Launches Nationwide allowing people in crisis to call, text, or chat for help.

On Saturday, July 16, 2022, the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launches nationwide, allowing people to call or text 988 to reach a trained counselor who will support them and connect them with additional resources. The three-digit number is modeled after 911 and is meant to make it easy for people in distress to quickly reach out for help. The current Lifeline phone number, 800-273-8255, will remain active to prevent confusion. Veterans can access the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and selecting option 1. The new shorter number, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will help ensure people in crisis can have easier access to help when needed. “Numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor,” the 988 Crisis Lifeline says.

Designated by Congress in 2020, the new 988 dialing code is operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In 2020, more than 2.1 million people called the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The assumption is that with a number as easy to remember as 911, these calls will only increase as awareness is spread. Concerns have been expressed that some states, which have known about 988 for some time, are not ready for the national rollout. States had known since late 2020, when President Donald Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act into law, that this mandate was coming, but many states struggled to keep up with the call demand before 988. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, only four states have passed 988 fee measures to meet the expected demand.

For additional information and resources, visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline section on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration website.