The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has experienced a surge in calls since it was changed to a shortened three-digit number.
The lifeline’s number, shortened to 988 in July, received over 361,000 calls, texts, and chats in August, or 152,000 more than in August 2021. The spike marked a 45% increase in people who called the phone number last month compared to last year at the same time, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to an increase in people contacting the lifeline, answer rates for these calls also increased, while wait times for callers decreased. Around 88% of the calls, chats, and texts got through in August, compared to 67% last August. Meanwhile, the average time for a 988 counselor to respond was only 42 seconds, down by almost two minutes when compared to August 2021’s wait time of 2 1/2 minutes.
CBP CALLS IN ‘SUICIDOLOGIST’ AS WORKFORCE DEATHS RISE
The lifeline’s original number, 1-800-273-TALK, was changed to 988 on July 16 to make it easier to use.
In March, HHS announced nearly $35 million in funding opportunities to help improve and expand community mental health services and suicide prevention programs for children and young adults in the United States. Over $9 million of the funding was provided by the American Rescue Plan.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to providing young people with the resources they need to thrive — during this pandemic and in the years to come,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A total of 45,979 deaths were the result of suicide in 2020. In the same year, suicide was among the top nine leading causes of death for people between the ages 10 and 64 and was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 through 14 and 25 through 34, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
