Draper says it's not uncommon for the lifeline to receive calls from people concerned about someone else. People can call 988 on behalf of someone they care about, too. "And crises are typically temporary by nature - so getting through a crisis to the other side of that is really critical," Draper adds. Triggers for a mental health crisis could be anything from the loss of a valued relationship - such as the death of a loved one or a breakup - to the loss of a job, a substance abuse problem that someone may feel helpless to deal with or "any time when a person feels so overwhelmed by their experience their feelings that it impairs their ability to get through day-to-day." (Photo: Getty Creative stock photo) When should you contact 988?ĭraper says there's a wide range of reasons why someone might contact the 988 lifeline. had one death by suicide every 11 minutes, and suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 25-34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ĭialing 988 will direct callers in crisis to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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The bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which assigned the new 988 dialing code to be operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, was passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Donald Trump in 2020. "It's not a new network being established - it's a new way to access that network in a way that's easier to remember."įCC rules require phone service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, but the lifeline's current number - 1-8won't go away on July 16 people can dial either number and get the same services. "What we want to do is make it as easy for someone to reach help when they need it as possible," Colleen Carr, director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention at Education Development Center, tells Yahoo Life. Though 988 is a new number, it connects to an existing lifeline network of over 200 local call centers that has been around since 2005. What is 988?ĩ88 is a new number that connects people to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, where crisis counselors are available 24/7 via call, text or chat to help anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or any mental health-related distress. So, what exactly is 988? Here's what you need to know. "My hope is that we'll forget all about 911 when we think about mental health and suicidal crisis over the coming generations." "People might haphazardly say it's like the 911 for mental health, but that's only because that's our only frame of reference, historically," Draper says.