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988 Feedback

For crisis counseling, please call or text 988 or chat with us.

988 Lifeline Chat and Text

988 Lifeline Chat and Text connects you with caring crisis counselors for emotional support.

To chat with a crisis counselor online 24/7/365, please fill out the form below.

To text with a crisis counselor, send a text to 988 on your phone.

For Veterans and Service Members: Chat with the Veterans Crisis Line

Haga clic aquí para acceder al chat en español.

For Deaf/Hard of hearing: ASL now

988 Mga Serbisyo ng Lifeline para sa mga nagsasalita ng Tagalog

Nag-aalok ang 988 Lifeline ng mga serbisyo sa Espanyol na tawag, text, at chat.

Apoyo Para Su Bienestar Emocional Durante El Brote De COVID-19

Black Mental Health

Your mental health is a priority. Wellness among Black communities is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Below, you will find tips and resources to support yourself, a loved one, and other members of the Black community.

If you are in need of support, you can call, text, or chat with 988. We are available 24/7. 988 works to ensure that all people have access to the support and resources reflective of their own needs. We are always here for you.

By the Numbers

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people, and, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the tenth-leading cause of death in the nation (CDC, 2019). Every year in the U.S., more people die by suicide than in car accidents, and more suicide deaths occur than homicide and AIDS deaths combined.

Careers

988 centers are looking for empathetic volunteers, employees, and interns to serve as crisis counselors answering phones, chats, and texts, as well as managers with advanced degrees. 

Chat and SMS Texting Terms of Service

Lifeline Chat and SMS Texting Terms & Conditions

USE OF THIS SERVICE IS BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Please read the following statement before using this service. By using Lifeline Chat or SMS Texting, which is operated by Vibrant Emotional Health you agree to the terms described below.

Coping During Community Unrest

Crisis Centers by State and U.S. Territory

The 988 network is made up of over 200 centers answering calls, chats, and texts from people in crisis.

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE CITATIONS

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Citations

The 988 Lifeline is reaching many Americans in crisis. Since 2005, the 988 Lifeline has answered (over/nearly) 10.43 million calls, with approximately 1 out of four reporting a suicide-related problem. (see 988 Lifeline Data Reports/Survey Results for citation)

With the VA, Lifeline serves millions of Veterans and Service members.  Since signing an agreement with the VA in 2007, SAMHSA’s Lifeline connects veterans/service members to the Veterans Crisis Line. The VCL has served over 2.8m callers since 2007  Lifeline surveys of its network estimate that local centers are also serving approximately 300,000 veterans annually in their communities. (see 988 Lifeline Data Reports/Survey Results for citation)

One national number promotes easy access to help. One number allows national media, Google, Facebook, Siri, and other common referral agents to connect people in crisis to help at any time, anywhere in the country. 75% of 988 Lifeline callers learn of the 988 Lifeline from online resources. (see 988 Lifeline Data Reports/Survey Results for citation)

The 988 Lifeline works. Continuing independent evaluations of 988 Lifeline crisis centers demonstrate that they are effective in reducing emotional distress and suicidality in callers. SAMHSA-funded evaluations also show that Lifeline follow-up calls with high-risk callers are preventing suicide. (M.S. Gould, Kalafat, Munfakh, & Kleinman, 2007; M. S. Gould et al., 2017; Madelyn S. Gould et al., 2016; Kalafat, Gould, Munfakh, & Kleinman, 2007)

The 988 Lifeline is establishing best practices for the field. Through research and expert consensus, the 988 Lifeline has established and disseminated national standards for suicide risk assessment and intervention for crisis centers across the country (Draper, Murphy, Vega, Covington, & McKeon, 2014; Joiner et al., 2007). Recent research by RAND has found that 988 Lifeline crisis centers are better at assessing risk and reducing distress in callers than non-988 Lifeline centers (Ramchand et al., 2017).

The 988 Lifeline reduces health and safety resource burdens. The 988 Lifeline centers are diverting callers from unnecessary use of law enforcement, emergency, and hospital inpatient resources. SAMHSA-funded analysis of Lifeline follow-up models approximates a two-fold return on investment in Medicaid dollars (Richardson, Mark, & McKeon, 2014).

Some states are under-resourced to answer 988 Lifeline calls.  While overall network answer rates are strong, some states lack centers or resources to answer calls locally, leaving national backup centers to answer approximately 30% of all calls. This may lead to longer wait times and fewer linkages to the best local crisis, emergency, or clinic care in these areas of the country. (see 988 Lifeline Data Reports/Survey Results for citation)

PUBLICATIONS REFERENCES

Draper, J., Murphy, G., Vega, E., Covington, D. W., & McKeon, R. (2014). Helping Callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Who Are at Imminent Risk of Suicide: The Importance of Active Engagement, Active Rescue, and Collaboration Between Crisis and Emergency Services. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 45, 261-270. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12128

Gould, M. S., Kalafat, J., Munfakh, J. L. H., & Kleinman, M. (2007). An evaluation of crisis hotline outcomes. Part 2: Suicidal callers. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 37, 338-352.

Gould, M. S., Lake, A. M., Galfalvy, H., Kleinman, M., Munfakh, J. L., Wright, J., & McKeon, R. (2017). Follow-up with Callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Evaluation of Callers’ Perceptions of Care. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12339

Gould, M. S., Lake, A. M., Munfakh, J. L., Galfalvy, H., Kleinman, M., Williams, C., . . . McKeon, R. (2016). Helping Callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Who Are at Imminent Risk of Suicide: Evaluation of Caller Risk Profiles and Interventions Implemented. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 46(2), 172-190. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12182

Joiner, T., Kalafat, J., Draper, J., Stokes, H., Knudson, M., Berman, A., & McKeon, R. (2007). Establishing standards for the assessment of suicide risk among callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 37, 353-365.

Kalafat, J., Gould, M. S., Munfakh, J. L. H., & Kleinman, M. (2007). An evaluation of crisis hotline outcomes. Part 1: Nonsuicidal crisis callers. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 37, 322-337.

Ramchand, R., Jaycox, L., Ebener, P., Gilbert, M. L., Barnes-Proby, D., & Goutam, P. (2017). Characteristics and Proximal Outcomes of Calls Made to Suicide Crisis Hotlines in California. Crisis, 38(1), 26-35. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000401

Richardson, J. S., Mark, T. L., & McKeon, R. (2014). The return on investment of post-discharge follow-up calls for suicidal ideation or deliberate self-harm. Psychiatric Services, 65, 1012-1019. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201300196

LIFELINE DATA REPORTS/SURVEY RESULTS

Call Volume Data/History. Lifeline database, Tableau Reports, processed 5/31/2017

VCL call volume. Text from About the Veterans Crisis Line, Veterans Crisis Line web site, 5/31/2017 https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/About/AboutVeteransCrisisLine.aspx

Lifeline centers serving veterans. Professional email communication from Kelly Clarke to John Draper, November 29, 2016, Veterans Amendment, Lifeline Network Veterans Amendment Survey Results (attachment), and summary of results.

Lifeline sources for referral (web-based). Powerpoint presentation to Lifeline Steering Committee, June 16, 2016, “Steering Committee Orientation and Capacity Challenges.” Slide entitled: “How Did you Hear About Lifeline?”, data from Boystown National Backup, Jan-April 2015.

Percentage of Lifeline calls leaving states, answered by National Back-ups. Lifeline database, Tableau Reports, processed 5/31/2017.

Native American, Indian, Indigenous, & Alaska Natives

Your mental health and wellness is a priority. Native American,  Indian, Indigenous, and Alaska Native communities are placed at a higher risk due to historical trauma, and compounding discrimination and oppression, in conjunction with a lack of investment into supportive resources. Below, you will find tips and resources to support yourself, a loved one, and other members of Native American, Indian, Indigenous, and Alaska Native communities.

If you are in need of support, you can call, text, or chat with 988. We are available 24/7. 988 works to ensure that all people have access to the support and resources reflective of their own needs. We are always here for you.

The Lifeline and 988

About

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. The Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, combining custom local care and resources with national standards and best practices.

Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Loss

Our network of crisis centers offers many services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, including veterans.

FAQ

Have a question? We may have an answer below. Question categories are available in the left sidebar.

LGBTQI+

Protected: Lifeline/988 Support Resources for States and U.S. Territories

State and U.S. Territory Mental Health or Public Health Agencies are key stakeholders in 988 implementation. This website provides a central location for states and territories to access current technical assistance and 988 Lifeline tools, as well as many of the archived materials shared during Vibrant’s previous 988 State Planning Grants.

In Spring 2021, through the utilization of private donation funding, Vibrant Emotional Health awarded fifty 988 State Territory Planning Grants. As a final outcome of those grants, awardees submitted their 988 Implementation Plans to Vibrant in late January 2022. These detailed plans provide robust roadmaps for states and territories to guide their 988 implementation activities through mid-2023 and, on some topics, beyond that timeframe.

In addition, in late Spring 2022, SAMHSA awarded numerous 2-year Cooperative Agreements directly to states and territories to “Build Local 988 Capacity”. On certain planning points, such as answer rates and average answer speed, the SAMHSA cooperative agreements required states to exceed performance targets that states and territories may have set for themselves in the non-binding 988 plans previously submitted to Vibrant.

As the 988 Lifeline Administrator, Vibrant Emotional Health provides support and technical assistance not only to independently-operated, Lifeline network-member crisis contact centers that do the ground-level work but also to the state and territory agencies that play a critical role in 988.

Our Crisis Centers

Learn more about our network of crisis contact centers and what you can do to support them.

Research and Evaluation Process and Proposals

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Data Access & Requests to Collaborate on Research (L-DAC)

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline welcomes opportunities to collaborate on research projects with the goal of preventing suicides and mental health crises, and providing a pathway to well-being. In order to preserve our values, which include the ultimate benefit of crisis contacts/crisis centers and avoidance of any potential harm to them; the preservation of network operations; and a commitment to including a diverse range of voices and experiences in our work, we take very seriously requests for 988 Lifeline data and requests to collaborate on research projects.  

Research includes any form of systematic investigation (e.g., research development, studies/testing, evaluation) that is designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge.