Topline
The three-digit suicide prevention hotline number launched last year by the U.S. government is unknown to a vast majority of the population, a new YouGov poll showed this week, even as the American suicide rate has increased 30% over the last 20 years.
A bookmark for children with the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline emergency telephone number is … [+]
Key Facts
The government last July announced a $432 million expansion of its crisis centers and a change to its National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, changing the 10-digit number to a three-digit number users can call or text, which the Department of Health and Human Services said would be easier for residents to remember.
But that number—988—hasn’t stuck with people like officials said it would, witha YouGov poll revealing only 14% of Americans can recall the number on the spot and 55% said they’d heard of it at all.
The goal of the 988 number was to re-cast the hotline as an easy-to-remember alternative to 911 and “redefine the role of law enforcement,” the Department of Justice said, giving anyone experiencing a mental health crisis a direct line to trained crisis counselors, rather than going through police departments of other agencies.
Once they were told what 988 is, a majority (77%) said they would likely use the number if they or someone they knew was suicidal.
People said they did have concerns about the hotline: 35% of respondents said they worry they’d be charged for services they couldn’t afford, 32% of people said they fear the clinician would call law enforcement and 32% said they worry 988 clinicians aren’t equipped to handle their problems.
Since its launch last year, 988 has received almost 5 million contacts—nearly 1 million from the incorporated Veterans Crisis Line, 2.6 million calls, over 740,000 chats and more than 600,000 texts, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported.
Big Number
92% That’s how many Americans can recall the number for local emergency services—911—compared to the 14% who could provide the 988 number for the Suicide and Crisis helpline, the YouGov poll showed.
Key Background
Suicide rates have been on the rise in the United States for decades. The suicide rate increased from 10.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001 to 14.1 in 2021, a 31.7% increase, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Rates declined in 2019 and 2020, but by 2021—the most recent year for which full data is available—had returned to the pre-pandemic trend of increases. The Americas are the only region covered by the World Health Organization that has seen a steady increase in the suicide mortality rate, according to a study published earlier this year in The Lancet Regional Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data also shows that “suicidality”—which includes suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts—in high school students increased from 16% of high school students in 2011 to 22% by 2021.
Tangent
A study published Wednesday showed that rates of suicide and suicide attempts among teenagers can be directly tied to the school calendar, suggesting mental health in school-aged children is at a low while school is in session. The study found suicidal ideation usually peaks in April and October, with a low in the summer months when school is not in session. That trend was bucked in 2020, researchers said—when school was closed for the Covid pandemic, suicidality among children hit a low.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Further Reading
Teen Suicide Plummeted During Covid-19 School Closures, New Study Finds (Forbes)
EU Investigates Ozempic Maker After Reports Of Suicidal Thoughts (Forbes)
Nikki Haley Blasted For Falsely Linking Teen Suicide To Transgender Students Playing Sports In CNN Town Hall (Forbes)
Mind Reading: ‘Under 30’ Alum Madison Beer Details Her Experience With Online Hate, Suicidal Thoughts In New Book (Forbes)