988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
People can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for themselves or if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.
988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the United States, you can reach a caring, trained counselor who can help.
988 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. That could be:
- Thoughts of suicide
- Mental health or substance use crises
- Emotional distress
- And other reasons to connect (46 seconds)
Need for 988
Too many people are experiencing suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress without the support and care they need, and sadly, the pandemic only made a bad situation worse when it comes to mental health and wellness in America.
There are urgent realities driving the need for crisis service transformation across our country.
In 2021 and 2022:
- The U.S. had one death by suicide about every 11 minutes
- For people aged 10–14 and 25–34 years, suicide was the second-leading cause of death
- Suicide rates increased significantly among non-Hispanic Black & American Indian and Alaska Native people
- More than 950,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.6 million adults attempted suicide
- About 107,000 people died from drug overdoses
Yet, there is hope. The 988 Lifeline helps thousands of people struggling to overcome suicidal crises or mental health-related distress every day.