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This policy watch examines 988 on its third anniversary, drawing from the latest Lifeline data available through May 2025 and suicide death data from CDC WONDER for the period 2013 to 2023. 988 received 16.5 million contacts since its launch in July 2022, including 11.2 million calls, 2.9 million texts, and 2.4 million chats.
This brief reviews the latest data on the 988 LGBTQI+ service and explores its future, including recent uncertainties.
On July 16, 2022, the federally mandated crisis number, 988, became available to all landline and cell phone users at no charge. Since launch in July 2022, 988 has received 10.8 million calls, texts, and chats. In May 2024, monthly contacts exceeded half a million, up about one-third from a year ago and 80% since May 2022. Despite increased demand for 988 services, national answer rates improved and wait times decreased, though some gains slipped…
This analysis examines performance metrics to assess utilization of 988’s LGBTQ service (which SAMHSA refers to as the LGBTQI+ subnetwork), compared to usage of 988’s main service, from December 2023 to March 2024 (the most current and comprehensive data available). It finds high demand for the specialty services but also certain challenges (e.g. higher call abandonment rates and longer call wait times than for the main 988 service).
Since its launch in July 2022, the 988 national suicide and crisis hotline has received about 4 million contacts, a 33 percent increase from the year before, according to a new KFF analysis of publicly available data through May 2023. The contacts include more than 2.6 million calls, over 740,000 chats, and more than 600,000 texts. The total number of contacts rises to almost 5 million when nearly 1 million additional contacts from the Veterans…
A KFF analysis finds that outreach to the new 988 number for the national suicide prevention and crisis hotline increased after its implementation in mid-July, then steadied until December 2022, when it rose again. Text volume increased more than 700 percent compared to the year prior but remains a smaller share of overall outreach. Since the launch of 988, Lifeline has received over 2.1 million contacts---consisting of over 1.43 million calls, over 416,000 chats, and…
A new KFF analysis finds that more people contacted the new 988 number for the national suicide prevention and crisis hotline following its launch in July, that callers waited less time on hold, and that callers connected with crisis counselors at higher rates than before the 988 number came online through a combination of calls, chats and texts. The easy-to-remember three-digit number steers callers who are suicidal or experiencing a behavioral health crisis to the…
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