New Research Suggests 988 Crisis Line Is Preventing Suicides

The 988 Lifeline launched in 2022, giving people in crisis a simpler way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Unlike the prior 10-digit number, the three-digit code is easier to remember and, according to experts, would increase the number of contacts to the lifeline and therefore save lives.

A new study suggests those predictions were accurate.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a study led by researchers at Harvard used the National Vital Statistics System to determine the number of suicide deaths of people aged 15–34 from 1999 to 2022. It then compared those numbers with the suicide mortality rates among the same cohort for the first two and half years after 988 was launched.

The researchers found the rate was significantly lower than expected, dropping by 11 percent. The percentage translates to 4,732 fewer individuals who took their own lives.

The authors of the study also analyzed state-level data, finding that the 10 states with the highest increases in calls had an 18 percent reduction in youth suicides. Among those states is Connecticut, which has seen a 350 percent increase in call volume since the introduction of the three-digit hotline. In 2025, the state fielded over 55,000 calls through the United Way of Connecticut, the nonprofit responsible for operating the call center.

“Preventing suicide is a core goal of Connecticut’s Health and Human Services State agencies,” said Nancy Navarretta, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, speaking to Connecticut Public Radio. “We are encouraged to see data showing that 988 is making a meaningful difference for Connecticut residents.”

Along with receiving more than 55,000 calls last year, Connecticut responded to 3,353 chats and texts. Recognizing that research has shown that crisis specialists can better serve people having a mental health emergency when both are in same state, Connecticut launched a local response system for chat and texts that operates 24/7.

“Our team knows that a quick response can save a life,” said the United Way of Connecticut’s president and CEO, Lisa Tepper Bates. “More than 95 percent of Connecticut callers tell us their state of crisis diminished during their call.”

While evidence suggests that states like Connecticut and New York—the latter of which reported 1.5 million texts to its Crisis Text Line last year, a volume that averages out to three messages per minute—have increased their residents’ engagement with 988 and related services, other states have not succeeded to the same degree. According to the JAMA study, the 10 states whose 988 volume increased the least had a 10.6 percent reduction in youth suicide mortality, lower than the national average.

Even so, the overall success of 988 has been a positive development for the cause of suicide prevention in the United States. The authors of the research caution, however, that “continued investment” is necessary to meeting demand. Unfortunately, in part due to funding cuts, the researchers predict that nearly half of all states will have insufficient levels of funding.

Some states have responded by taking steps to address the funding gap. In March, WGEM in Missouri reported that the state’s legislators have proposed adding a 65-cent surcharge to each Missourian’s phone bill. The proceeds would then be put toward funding the state’s 988 service, which has seen a more than 136 percent increase in calls since 2022.

“When we see the volume to 988 continue to grow year after year, it’s clear that we need to make sure that we have sustainable funding,” said Casey Mucker, a crisis coordinator with the Missouri Department of Health. If passed, Missouri will join 12 other states in instituting a 988 fee. Similar small monthly fees for 911 service are common across the United States.

In Kentucky, meanwhile, Governor Andy Beshear celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month in May by confirming his administration’s commitment to strengthening access to mental healthcare across the state. This effort includes funding 988, which since 2022 has been contacted 265,000 times via phone, text, and chat by Kentuckians in crisis. In the last year alone, the number of calls to the state’s 14 community mental health centers rose by 30 percent.

On the national level, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced in May a series of grants to support 988 across the United States. The biggest of these, $255 million, went to Vibrant, a nonprofit that will use the funds to administer a national network of 200-plus crisis centers.

“HHS is committed to making sure every American facing a mental health or substance use crisis can reach the 988 Lifeline and get immediate help,” said HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

In total, since the 2022 launch, the 988 Lifeline has received more than 25 million calls, texts, chats, and ASL videophone calls.