Westmont, Illinois - Date Issued: July 20, 2022
Recently, the U.S. introduced 988 as the new Suicide & Crisis Lifeline phone number. The new 988 number is available to call or text 24/7 by anyone experiencing or witnessing mental health-related distress including thoughts of suicide, substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. The previous 10-digit Lifeline number will continue to be operational and will route calls to 988.
In 2020, the United States had one death by suicide every 11 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for young people aged 10-14 and 25-34. Also, from April 2020 to 2021, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses. Studies have shown that after speaking with a trained crisis counselor, most Lifeline callers are significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful.
For more information please visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website at 988lifeline.org.
