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In the summer of 2022, the U.S. launched a new crisis hotline—988—to replace the old 10-digit line as part of a $1.5 billion investment to expand crisis center capacity and effectiveness.
In subsequent years, contacts to the lifeline more than doubled nationwide, especially among youth. What was unclear, however, was whether this translated into a reduction in suicides.
A new study concludes that it very much did. And particularly among younger people.
Based on prior trends, researchers determined that 39,901 people aged 15–34 were expected to have died by suicide in the U.S. from July 2022 through December 2024, the immediate 2½-year period after the crisis hotline launched.
The study published last month in The Journal of the American Medical Association counted 35,529 suicides instead—an estimated 4,372 fewer than expected in that period among U.S. youth and young adults.
Researchers found no comparable suicide reduction in England, which did not have a similar crisis hotline built out during this period.
And crucially, the study found, states with the highest growth in answered 988 calls had the highest reduction in suicides among youth.
“I’ve worked in public policy for close to 40 years, which is crazy but true, and I have never seen such clear evidence of an important impact,” says Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, which helps operate the 988 program in Oregon.
A product of the 2020 National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, the 2022 launch of 988, Holton tells WW by phone, did a few things. By creating a simple 988 number, it made it easier to reach a crisis hotline. The government program also reduced stigma, he says, sending a clear message to the public that it is OK to be struggling, that there is help available, and that it works. Also, he says, the launch built out a chat function, which for many youth is the preferred method of seeking help.
As throughout the U.S., the number of people calling into Lines for Life in Oregon dramatically increased after the major 2022 revamp.
In the prior year, the Oregon program says it received 39,785 contacts in the state.
This fiscal year year, Holton says, it expects nearly 90,000 calls seeking help—plus an additional 40,000 contacts through the newly built-out chat system.
While the effectiveness appears greater for younger people than older adults, mental health advocates say the research builds the case for policymakers to continue to invest in 988—and market it.
“This study underscores the importance of policymakers in Oregon fully funding 988,” said Chris Bouneff, executive director of the Oregon chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in a written statement.
Holton agrees. “We know that if people call, there is a reduction in suicides,” he says. “If you promote it, less people die by suicide.”
