988 SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE: ABOUT THE LIFELINE

July 16, 2022

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is funded by SAMHSA and has been administered by Vibrant Emotional Health since it began in 2005.
The Lifeline is a national network of over 200 local, independent crisis centers equipped to help people in mental health related distress or experiencing a suicidal crisis via call, chat, or text. The Lifeline provides free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the U.S.
Numerous studies have shown that the Lifeline works—most callers are significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking to a Lifeline crisis counselor.
Lifeline crisis counselors are an essential element of our crisis care system to save lives. This network has been massively underfunded and under-resourced. This patchwork of local, state, and private funding for the network has fallen way short of meeting the need. That's why, in anticipation of the expected increase in volume of 988, it’s crucial that we shore up the infrastructure of the Lifeline and support the local crisis centers.(This information taken directly from the SAMHSA website)