988 crisis line sees ‘eye-opening’ number of calls in first 6 months

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has fielded over 2 million calls, texts and chats since the phone number was shortened to three digits last summer, CNN reports.

“It’s really eye-opening to see the increase in the texts, chats and calls that are coming in,” Hannah Wesolowski, the chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told the outlet Thursday.

“But to see that more states have a more than 90% answer rate for contacts coming from their state — and that average speed of answering is down, so people are getting help more quickly.”

Dr. John Palmieri, the 988 deputy director, said the average answer speed in 2021 was three minutes but that as of December, it’s down to 44 seconds.

“We know that there are many individuals in this country who are struggling with suicidal concerns, with mental health or substance use concerns, who aren’t able to access the care that they need,” continued Palmieri, a senior medical adviser for the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“And in many respects, historically, because of funding limitations or other limitations, the system has let them down,” he added.

The hotline has seen a 48% uptick in calls, a 263% increase in chats and a whopping 1,445% rise in texts from December 2021 to December 2022, according to SAMHSA data.

The new level of use might be attributable to more attention on the available service, said Kimberly Williams, the CEO and president of Vibrant Emotional Health, which administers and operates the hotline, once known as 1-800-273-TALK.

The change launched in July, marking a major milestone as the first nationwide three-digit hotline geared towards mental health support.

Former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai urged Americans “who have been struggling” to realize “they are not alone” during a “Today” segment in 2020.

The hotline’s revamp included a moniker transformation as well.

“With the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, even though they did answer a range of crises, it was billed as the ‘National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.’ So a lot of people who are not feeling suicidal, but were in distress didn’t feel like that was a resource for them,” Wesolowski told CNN.

The idea for the three-digit hotline came from Utah state Sen. Daniel Thatcher, whose heartbreaking story of a friend’s child in crisis moved him to push for change. Thatcher said his pal’s son was suicidal but was turned away from a hospital because he had not inflicted harm on himself.

Thatcher, who is open about his own battles with depression and suicidal thoughts, realized a 10-digit suicide hotline number was too difficult to remember — and that for some, reaching out to family and friends isn’t an option.

In 2020, Congress passed a bill that amended the hotline to a three-digit number under former President Trump.

President Biden’s administration then increased federal investments to the lifeline, to the tune of nearly $1 billion, per CNN’s estimate.

Part of the funding went to strengthening and expanding existing operations and infrastructure — which is said to include chat and text responses, center capacity and other “special services” — as well as bulking up local call centers across the nation.

In a statement last month, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said the country faces an “unprecedented mental health and substance use crisis” that has affected every demographic.

“Although rates of depression and anxiety were rising before the pandemic, the grief, trauma, and physical and social isolation that many people experienced during the pandemic exacerbated these issues,” Becerra continued in the statement, referencing a “historic high” of drug overdoses.

Now, experts see the 988 lifeline as a way to better support the American people.

“This is truly an opportunity with 988 — as a catalytic moment — to be able to transform the crisis care system to better meet those needs in a less restrictive, more person-centered, more treatment- and recovery-oriented way,” Palmieri told CNN.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.