988: A New Nationwide Hotline for Mental Health Emergencies
The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 designates 988 as the new national number for suicide prevention and mental health crisis response. Beginning July 16, 2022 the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ten-digit crisis phone number of 1-800-273-8255 will shift to an easily accessed three-digit number of 988 to increase access to crisis services and provide an expanded scope of the Lifeline to include all mental health care needs, including suicide, addiction, and severe mental illness.
This number shift is one part of an overall plan for an improved mental health and suicide crisis response system in the U.S. with the Lifeline taking on an increasing role in providing and coordinating crisis interventions. The ideal is that everyone experiencing a mental health crisis will receive a mental health response.
The existing 1-800 Lifeline number received nearly 2.4 million calls for crisis intervention in 2020. It is estimated the easily accessed Lifeline 988 number will receive 24 million calls, texts, and online chat requests by 2027.
How it works:
Since its beginning in 2005, the Lifeline has been administered by the nonprofit Vibrant Emotional Health and funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to Vibrant, a national three-digit phone number of 988 can improve access to vital crisis services, extend the national reach of suicide prevention efforts and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and getting help. The Lifeline continues to provide 24/7, free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress across the United States.
The 988 number will continue the same service of routing callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline is made up of a network of more than 200 local and state funding crisis centers across the U.S. with calls routed to the closest center based on area code. The 988 number can be called, texted or live chatted with. These calls are answered by local counselors and mental health professionals who know community mental health resources and can provide referrals to local services. The counselor will listen, offer support and work together with the caller to develop a plan for safety and recovery.
Until July 2022, anyone in mental health crisis or emotional distress should continue to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255). After July 15th, 2022, those in mental health crisis or those needing support and resourcing for someone in crisis should call the 988 Lifeline number. The 988 number can be called, texted, or chatted through and connected with a mental health professional who can help. The Lifeline's current 1-800 phone number will remain active after the new three-digit phone number launches and will always be available to people in any type of crisis, just as 911 is for emergencies.
Crisis Standard of Care and Response System Needed:
While an easily accessed and remembered number is important, the proposed model of an integrated mental health crisis response system and standard of care is needed. This response system is needed for increased collaboration between 911 and 988, therefore, providing more options for those in crisis, such as dispatching mobile mental health crisis teams to individuals in mental health or suicidal crisis rather than police, paramedics, jails and emergency rooms responding. It can also reduce unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations and reduce law enforcement involvement in mental health crises. Likewise, it can provide coordination of care options such as crisis stabilization options. The ideal is that everyone experiencing a mental health crisis will receive a mental health response.
Crisis Center Staffing Needed:
With the 988 Lifeline number expecting a possible 24 million calls, texts, and online chat requests by 2027, these crisis centers, mobile crisis teams and crisis stabilization facilities are looking to bring on new volunteers, paid employees and mental health professionals who will receive training and resourcing needed to provide mental health supports to those in need. For more information go to: samhsa.gov/988-jobs.
Get Involved:
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), who has been an advocate for implementation of a mental health crisis standard of care and Crisis response system, Mental health advocates can advocate for a crisis standard of care to be offered in every community and to every person who needs it. NAMI gives six ways to help and advocate:
1. Sign NAMI’s petition to show commitment to reimagining crisis response in your community.
2. Share your mental health story to help break the stigma of mental health needs. The real life experiences of people who’ve encountered good or bad crisis responses help policymakers understand why change is needed.
3. Email your members of Congress to tell them to fund a crisis response infrastructure.
4. Explore how your community can #ReimagineCrisis. Find helpful information and timely resources to use in your advocacy efforts to build a better crisis response system
5. Learn about ways to influence your state policymakers. See if there is any current legislation in your state, and connect with your NAMI State Organization to learn how they are supporting legislation and how you may get involved.
6. Recruit other advocates by posting on social media to demand a mental health response to mental health crises.
Conclusion:
The shift from the 1-800 number to the 988 Lifeline crisis number is just one part of a much larger plan to address mental health needs in the United States. Congressmen Chris Stewart and Seth Moulton, wrote in a 2019 op-ed in the Washington Post, individuals need to talk more about mental health so that “seeking help for everything from suicidal thoughts to addiction to depression is as routine as going to the doctor for a broken arm or an annual check-up.”
The 988 three-digit number will not be operational until July 15, 2022. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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