988 Suicide Prevention Hotline Sees Record-breaking Usage in First Five Months

John Lopez, Tech Times 16 January 2023, 08:01 am

In its first five months of operation, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) has received over 1.7 million calls, texts, and chats, NPR reports. This number is half a million calls more than the 10-digit Suicide Prevention Lifeline received the year before.

Suicidal people or those experiencing any other type of mental health crisis can contact a trained mental health professional by dialing the 988 number, which is based on the 911 system and is intended to be an easy-to-remember dial number.

More People Reaching Out

The 988 Lifeline data for November 2022 revealed an increase in overall volume over November 2021. Government data also tells us that the line answered 154,585 more contacts (calls, chats, and texts) and significantly improved response time. The average time to respond across all contacts fell from 187 seconds to 36 seconds.

According to Kimberly Williams, President and CEO of Vibrant Emotional Health, the organization in charge of the 988 hotline channels, the increase in volume indicates that more people are aware of and able to use the service.

Compared to the previous year, November 2022 saw a 38% increase in the number of calls answered, a 289% increase in the number of chats answered, and a 1227% increase in the number of texts answered. In the past few months, the number of people who connect to Lifeline through texts and chats has grown the most.

The 988 Lifeline is also working to improve access to crisis care for people living in underserved communities. It launched a pilot program in September to connect people with a counselor specifically trained to address issues faced by LGBTQ youth. The Trevor Project, the leading LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, is providing these services.

Get Help, Connect with 988 Lifeline

The 988 hotlines, launched in mid-July 2022, will be available to everyone in the United States beginning on July 16, 2022. When people dial, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors in the Lifeline network.

The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.

These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, offer support, and, if necessary, connect them to resources.

The 988 Lifeline also offers live crisis center phone services in English and Spanish and translation services in over 250 additional languages for people who call 988.

More Support

The federal government has invested nearly $1 billion in the 988 Lifeline program, with a little more than $500 million included in the federal spending bill. In addition, numerous states have passed legislation to fund the 988 networks.

Since it opened its lines in 2005, the network of over 200 crisis centers that is part of The Lifeline has demonstrated its capacity to provide effective assistance. Check out this link if you are interested in contributing to this cause.

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