The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has expanded services and continued to answer millions of calls, texts and chats from people experiencing mental health or substance use crises since its launch on July 16, 2022.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have invested nearly $1.5 billion into 988 as part of the comprehensive strategy to address the nation’s mental health and substance use crises.
“We have worked to champion a ‘no wrong door’ strategy for accessing help for mental health, but it’s clear there are still a lot of people who feel they have run out of options. My message to those who are struggling: you are not alone, we hear you, and we are here to help. 988 is an important resource and anyone who needs help should reach out,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm.
Since 988’s launch in 2022, counselors have answered more than 10 million calls, texts and chats from people looking for help with suicidal thoughts and mental health and substance use-related crises. Of the 10 million contacts answered in the past two years, 1.7 million were texts, with 988 answering 51 percent more texts in the past 12 months than the year before.
Almost 1.2 million of the 988 calls were answered by the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) through 988’s Press 1 option, one of the ways veterans, service members and their families can reach the VCL.
Considering the full range of VCL services, veterans and their supporters have reached VCL through phone, online chat and text more than 2 million times since July 2022.
“Our Veterans Crisis Line connects veterans to caring, qualified responders 24/7 — and two years ago, we made it even easier for veterans in crisis and their loved ones to reach out for help by launching 988 then Press 1,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “One veteran lost to suicide is too many. We’re supporting more veterans than ever through the 988 initiative and will not rest in our continued efforts to spread the word that this resource is available and saves lives.”
On July 16, 2022, the U.S. transitioned to 988 as a new, easy-to-remember way for anyone needing support to reach a trained crisis counselor at any time, day or night.
More than 200 contact centers across the country provide support through 988. Significant investments in 988 at all levels have helped states, territories and tribes to hire crisis counselors for improved local response, ensure national backup and expand services.
In 2023, 988 added Spanish text and chat, specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth and young adults and videophone for American Sign Language (ASL) users.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 13.2 million adults and 3.4 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, and 48.7 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year. Almost 50,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2022.
Individuals who speak Spanish can connect directly to Spanish-speaking crisis counselors by calling 988 and pressing option 2, texting “Ayuda” to 988 or chatting online at 988lineadevida.org.
LGBTQI+ youth and young adults who want to connect with a counselor specifically focused on meeting their needs can text “Pride” to 988, call 988 and select option 3, or access the service via chat on 988lifeline.org.
Since these expansions of services, 988 counselors have answered about 20,000 Spanish-language chats and texts; more than 475,000 LGBTQI+ youth and young adult texts, calls and chats; and about 20,000 videophone contacts in ASL.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov.
If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call (800) 662-HELP (4357).
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