On Saturday, the United States transitioned from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (telephone number) to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The number can be dialed similarly to 911 or texted for people in need of help.

This change was signed into law with The Nation Suicide Hotline Designation Act in 2020. The investment from the federal government went from $24 million to $432 million to support mental health and suicide prevention.

“988 is more than a number; it is a message: we’re there for you. Through this and other actions, we are treating mental health as a priority and putting crisis care in reach for more Americans,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has been meeting with states across the country about the transition to 988 as part of HHS’ National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health. “There is still much work to do. But what matters is that we’re launching; 988 will be live. We are looking to every governor and every state in the nation to do their part to make this a long-term success.”

Lets Zoom Out

What does this mean for the US-

1. An easy-to-remember number for calling and texting
2. The remembering curve will be much shorter
3. Making it easy may increase the number of people that wouldn’t have called before
4. Look for a marketing campaign in schools across the country.

In my opinion, this is a great way to connect with the younger generation. I also think a marketing campaign on popular social media sites might be a good idea.

Here are some more stats about suicide-

The U.S. had one death by suicide every 11 minutes in 2020, 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. 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.