U.S. Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 Increases Calls: Reports

Cries for help on the new suicide and crisis lifeline launched last summer have been overwhelming since its release, allowing officials to get more information on how to help more people in need.

In July, the 24-hour emergency service switched from a 10-digit hotline to a three-digit emergency number: 988.

A man talks on his cell phone in New Orleans on August 11, 2019. The 988 Mental Health and Suicide Hotline has rapidly expanded its reach in the six months since its launch. Since July, it has received just over 2 million calls, texts and chat messages.
((AP Photo/Jenny Kane, file))

The National Suicide Hotline Act approved 988 as the new three-digit suicide and mental health crisis reporting number and was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump following the bipartisan legislation in 2020.

LAUNCH OF NEW US SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE 988

After the launch of the 988 in July, calls began pouring in.

The Associated Press reported that more than 200 call centers across the country have seen an increase in calls from people contemplating suicide or in need of a mental health emergency. In fact, the centers handle over 2 million calls, text messages and chat messages.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2020, one person died every 11 minutes in the US every 11 minutes.
(iStock)

Last year, the number of call centers in Spain increased from three to seven, and in September a dedicated line for LGBT youth was added as a pilot project.

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There are even more plans to keep things going, including chat and texting options for the Hispanic community, as well as 24/7 LGBTQ line support.

“The volume of the calls in some cases is much higher than what we expected,” Miriam Delfin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use at the Department of Health and Human Services, told AP. “It lets us know that people are struggling, people are going through hard times. I am encouraged that people are connecting to services and support rather than fighting on their own.”

Since the launch of 988 in November, 154,585 more calls, texts and chat messages have been registered to the helpline than in November 2021.

The AP reported the latest data, which also showed a 1227% increase in the number of messages in the health bar over the same period.

Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks at a press conference to launch the new 988 National Mental Health Helpline on Friday, July 15, 2022, in Philadelphia. The press conference took place in front of the artist Eric Okde’s mural “Contemplation, Clarity and Fortitude”, which represents, among other things, the process of overcoming difficulties. The US’s first nationwide three-digit mental health hotline (988) went live on Saturday.
((Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP))

The Veterans Crisis Line received 450,000 calls, messages and chats, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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The number of calls does not appear to be decreasing in the new year, according to AP, as consultants took 3,869 calls on New Year’s Eve and the first day of 2023, up 30 percent from last year.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a network of over 200 state and local call centers. It is maintained by HHS through SAMHSA.