988 is the new Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress.
You can CALL, TEXT, or CHAT with a trained crisis counselor 24/7.
- CALL: 988
- TEXT: 988
- CHAT: http://988lifeline.org/chat
If you’re worried about a loved one who needs crisis support, you can also use 988.
988’s goal is to support people in suicidal crisis or a mental health-related distress. The service is different from 911 in that it aims to promote stabilization and care in the least restrictive manner. Right now, fewer than 2% of calls to 988 require a connection to the 911 emergency system.
When you call 988, you’ll first hear a greeting while your call is routed to a local crisis counselor (based on your area code). If a local crisis counselor is unavailable, you’ll be routed to a national crisis counselor.
When the trained crisis counselor answers, they’ll listen to you, attempt to understand how your problem is affecting you, provide support, and share resources.
Calls to 988 offer live support in both English and Spanish, with translation services for over 250 additional languages. Texting and chatting are currently English only.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, visit
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/faqs.
You can also find specific resources for Native American and Alaskan Native people at
https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/native-americans/.
Or read stories of hope and recovery at https://988lifeline.org/stories/.
