988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

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What Is 988?

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The new 988 number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline went into effect on July 16, 2022. In July 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 988 as the new three-digit number for the Lifeline. The number has trained staff to answer calls from individuals at risk for suicide as well as those experiencing other mental health and substance use-related emergencies. Specialized services are available for veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other groups.

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How It Works

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• Call: When you call 988, you will first hear a greeting message with the options to press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, 2 for Spanish, or stay on the line while your call is routed to your local Lifeline network crisis center. Then a trained crisis counselor will answer the phone, provide support, and share resources if needed.

• Text: When you text 988, you will complete a short survey letting the crisis counselor know a little about your situation. You will be connected with a trained crisis counselor in a crisis center, who will answer the text, provide support, and share resources if needed.

• Chat: Visit 988lifeline.org and find the chat button in the top right-hand corner of the screen. You will complete a short survey letting the crisis counselor know a little bit about your current situation. Then you’ll see a wait-time message while you are connected with a trained crisis counselor who will answer the chat, provide support, and share resources if needed.

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Calls are answered locally if there is a local call center. When/If local call centers are not staffed, calls are routed to nearby states or the national office at Vibrant Emotional Health, an MHA affiliate and administrator of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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