September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Each week, we will have a new article featured here that talks about various mental health resources. This week’s feature is about the 988 Crisis Hotline and how they can help someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Did you know that a person dies by suicide every 11 minutes? Or that nearly 108,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2022? It’s time to take action and reduce the stigma around mental health.

With rising levels of anxiety, depression, emotional distress, and overdose deaths, it is crucial that people have somewhere to turn when they’re in crisis. The 988 Lifeline is a direct connection to immediate, free support and resources for anyone in crisis. This could include mental health distress, substance use crisis or thoughts of suicide.

When a person calls or texts 988 or chats live on 988lifeline.org, they are connected with a crisis counselor who listens, tries to understand how the problem is affecting the person, provides support, and shares resources. 988 Lifeline crisis counselors are trained to help reduce the intensity of a situation for the person seeking help and connect them to additional local resources to support their wellbeing. Anyone, either a person in crisis or someone supporting a person through a crisis, can reach the hotline via landline, cell phone or voice-over internet device.

About 98 percent of people who call, chat, or text the 988 Lifeline get the crisis support they need and do not require additional services in that moment. The 988 Lifeline is a key part of a broader vision for reimagined crisis care in the United States. Through federal, state, local, and community partnerships, SAMHSA is working towards a vision where everyone has: Someone to talk to. Somone to respond. A safe place for help.

These services are free and available 24/7 year-around- including holidays. You are not alone.

For more information visit: https://988lifeline.org/