The 988 mental health hotline has received over 96,000 calls, texts, and chats in a little over two weeks since it changed its number.
This is a 45% increase from the week before the change and a 66% increase from this time last year, according to Elemy’s Clinical Director of Psychology Dr. Jacquelyn Flood.
Previously, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was 1-800-273-TALK. But the number was changed last month to be easier to remember, similar to emergency number 911.
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“It’s the signal to America that we want to consolidate that service, we want to strengthen that service, and we want to make it consistent,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters leading up to the change. “We won’t have the luxury of decades like 911 had to get on the ground and running.”
Despite the increase in calls, only 21 states have established a fund for local calls or amended their telecom laws so that 988 calls are charged like 911 calls. When a state does not have the necessary funding or staffing, the calls are typically forwarded to one of 16 backup centers funded by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network.
As a result, at least 1 in 3 of the calls to the lifeline made in May 2022 were sent to an out-of-state call center, according to HHS data.
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Meanwhile, a recent survey by Elemy found that 26% of children admitted to their parents that they were suicidal.
