What you need to know about ‘988,’ the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Anyone in the United States experiencing a mental health issue can now call or text “988” to be connected with a trained counselor. The “988” number was recently established to address the growing suicide and mental health crisis affecting Americans of all ages and demographics.

The idea is to make emergency mental health care more readily accessible. With that in mind, we recently spoke with Dr. Lindsey Jasinski, a licensed psychologist and leader within UK Behavioral Health, about the 988 lifeline and what people should expect when they call.

What is the goal of 988?

The goal of 988 is expansion and ease of access to mental health crisis support services. It is an effort to address the need for enhanced mental health services in America. Like other quick-dial numbers (e.g. 911), 988 is designed to be easy to remember, easy to access, and facilitate quick response to mental health and substance use emergencies.

Ultimately, the goal is to decrease distress, improve access to services, and decrease morbidity and death due to suicide or other mental health and substance use crises.

What is important for people to realize when they call 988?

Calling 988 connects callers with trained counselors who listen and provide support to a person in crisis and help them find services in their local community. Mental health and substance use crises are common; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) estimates that nearly 3.3 million people contacted a national lifeline crisis support line in 2020, and those rates continue to rise. Calls to 988 are not just for suicide but can include other mental health and substance use crises.

There are multiple ways to connect with 988 crisis services: by calling, texting or chatting (988lifeline.org/chat). Each individual can use their preferred way to reach out for help. Crisis centers can provide support in both English and Spanish, and use a Language Line option to provide translation in 250 additional languages. Currently, texting is only available in English, with a goal of expanding to Spanish and other languages soon.

In addition, those who are deaf or hard of hearing can access services through text and chat or through their preferred relay service by dialing 711. There are plans to expand to video phone service to better serve individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in the future.

Are individuals always hospitalized when they call 988?

Definitely not. The goal of the 988 counselors is to connect people with support and services that will allow them to remain safe at home in their community. Hospitalization is always the last resort, used only when the individual cannot remain safe due to the crisis. Only a small volume of calls are referred to 911 for imminent risk to someone’s life.

What should a person expect when they call?

When someone calls 988, they will be routed to their local Lifeline network crisis center, based on the area code of their phone number. The caller hears a brief greeting message while the call is routed, and then the call is answered by a trained crisis counselor associated with their local center. Usually, these are locally staffed by the community mental health center. If the local team is unable to take the call due to high volume, the call is routed to a national backup crisis center. The goal is for calls to be answered locally, so the trained counselors can provide immediate crisis support and connect the individual with local mental health resources.

The counselor answering the phone will ask several questions about the caller, their emotional state, and will provide support and coping resources. The counselor will also help the person get connected to therapy, medication management or other mental health services in their community to reduce the likelihood that the crisis happens again.

Connect to the state’s 988 website, with information about the 988 rollout in Kentucky, here: https://988.ky.gov