988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

 

Today, “988” is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect with mental health professionals with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline which serves our nation’s Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and those who support them. For texts, Veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.

988 Lifeline voice, text, and chat options are offered in Spanish. To call a Spanish-speaking crisis counselor, dial 988 and then press “2.” To text with a Spanish-speaking crisis counselor, text AYUDA to 988. To chat with a Spanish-speaking crisis counselor, visit https://988lifeline.org/es/chat/. In addition, you can reach a specialized LGBTQI+ affirming counselor by texting “PRIDE” to 988 or by pressing “3” when calling. Also, people can chat at 988lifeline.org for themselves or a loved one who may need crisis support.

On September 8, 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration of the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) announced the launching of nationwide direct video calling to 988 for consumers fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). People who use American Sign Language can now use their videophones to contact 988 directly.

Social Media Toolkit

A wide variety of social media content is available to download and share on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to help promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Too many people experience suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress without the support and care they need. There are urgent mental health realities driving the need for crisis service transformation across our country. In 2020 alone, the U.S. had one death by suicide about every 11 minutes—and for people aged 10-34 years, suicide is a leading cause of death.

There is hope. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national network of more than 200 crisis centers that helps thousands of people overcome crisis situations every day. These centers are supported by local and state sources as well as the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect to mental health professionals with the Lifeline network.

To learn more about the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration's 988 resources and information to help spread the word, visit: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988.

Call Routing

In September 2024, the process to start routing cellular phone calls to 988 crisis centers based on the caller’s approximate location, versus by area code – known as “georouting” – began with two major U.S. wireless carriers that combined make up about half of all wireless calls to 988. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the 988 Lifeline Administrator, Vibrant Emotional Health, have been working with all of the major U.S. cell phone carriers for more than a year to improve call routing to 988 so that callers on a cell phone can be connected more locally to centers that are better equipped to provide nearby resources and services while also protecting a caller’s privacy.

At the October 17, 2024 Open Meeting, the FCC adopted rules that will require all U.S. wireless carriers to implement georouting for calls to the 988 Lifeline.  These rules will facilitate access to the 988 Lifeline’s critical local intervention services by requiring wireless providers to implement georouting solutions for 988 calls to route wireless calls to local crisis centers based on the geographic area associated with the origin of a 988 call rather than by area code and exchange, while protecting the privacy needs of the caller.  This action will establish an implementation timeline for georouting calls to the 988 Lifeline of 30 days for nationwide wireless providers and 24 months for smaller, non-nationwide providers following the effective date of the rules. Once the rules are published in the Federal Register, they are effective 30 days later. The Commission also approved a proposal to require covered text providers to provide georouting data for 988 text messages. Additional details can be found in the following news release: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-adopts-rules-requiring-georouting-all-wireless-calls-988.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between georouting vs. geolocation?

  • Georouting is a way of directing phone calls locally without including the caller’s precise location information in the transferred call data so that the caller’s privacy is protected. When a person calls the 988 Lifeline, their call would be sent automatically to a crisis call center near their approximate physical location. With georouting, other service providers transmitting the call would not receive detailed information about the exact “pinpoint” location of callers from the provider that originates the call. 
     
  • Geolocation refers to a person’s precise geographical location. In most cases, that precise location information is associated with the device a person uses to access a service. A widely familiar example of geolocation is the usage of smartphone precise GPS location to provide local services in Apps. The 988 Lifeline has no plans at this time to implement geolocation.

How do calls to 988 get routed?

  • When a person calls 988 from a cell phone using a carrier that has implemented georouting, unless they select one of the specialized services offered through the national network (Spanish language, LGBTQI+ support, etc.), they will be connected to a nearby crisis call center. 
     
  • Callers who use a wireless carrier for which georouting is not active will be connected to the nearest 988 crisis call center based on the defined location of the first six digits (area code and prefix) of the caller's phone number, regardless of the actual location of the caller. 
     
  • Calls that are not answered locally within a set amount of time get answered by 988’s national back up network.

Why is local response important?

  • By connecting callers to centers well-versed in their community’s specific services and local resources, georouting helps enhance the relevance and quality of care available to each caller. 
     
  • Many crisis center directors, advocates, people with lived experience, and state and local behavioral health care leaders have expressed the need for calls to be answered by centers within a caller’s state. 
     
  • There are three key reasons for this: 
     
    • Community Care: Having residents receive local community resources helps improve connections to care and build trust in the system. 
       
    • Safety: In imminent risk situations where emergency dispatches and rescue procedures are needed, many 988 Lifeline centers have relationships with their local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to streamline this process. 
       
    • Funding: State and local appropriations are tied to expectations around serving state and local community populations. To budget scale and size programs appropriately, it is vital to fully understand mental health resource needs and utilization in these communities.

How will georouting impact caller privacy?

  • Georouting does not include a caller’s precise location information in any data that is sent throughout the 988 network. The goal is to help people in crisis reach local support in the area where they are when they dial 988. Georouting simply makes it more likely than in the past for a caller to reach a local crisis center.

What has the FCC’s role been in moving forward with georouting for 988?

  • As part of the 2020 National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, the Federal Communications Commission submitted a report examining the feasibility and cost of providing more precise location information than area code with a 988 call. Within that report, the FCC recommended that Congress require that a multi-stakeholder group be convened to further examine the key issues and collaborate on potential next steps. The FCC also held a 988 Geolocation Forum in May 2022 to examine how potential routing improvements could help callers to 988 connect to the regional call centers where they are located without sharing geolocation information. 
     
  • On September 28, 2023, FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel sent a series of letters encouraging wireless carriers and industry associations to take the necessary steps to identity and develop a 988 georouting solution that could be deployed in wireless networks nationwide.

988 Transition History

In a report to Congress in August 2019, Federal Communications Commission staff first proposed 988 as the nationwide, easy-to-remember, 3-digit dialing code for individuals in crisis to connect to suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted rules to establish 988 as the nationwide, easy-to-remember 3-digit dialing code for people in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. On October 17, 2020, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 was signed into law, incorporating 988 into statute as the new Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line phone number. Recognizing the need to better support at-risk communities in crisis, including youth and individuals with disabilities, the FCC adopted additional rules in November 2021 to expand access to this critical service by establishing the ability to also text 988. As a result, covered phone service and text providers in the United States and the five major U.S. territories—American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands— were required to direct all 988 calls and texts to the the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by July 16, 2022.

As part of the two year nationwide transition to 988, more than 80 area codes had to shift to 10-digit dialing. To ensure that calls to 988 reach the988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, all covered providers were required to implement 10-digit dialing in areas that both use seven-digit dialing and use 988 as the first three numbers in seven-digit phone numbers. On and after the July 16, 2022 implementation date, calls that begin with the digits 9-8-8, will be directed to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and cannot be dialed as part of a seven-digit phone number. If consumers accidently dial 988 as part of a local call, they must hang up and dial again using the area code and the seven-digit number. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator has a complete listing of affected area codes and resource materials for local government and community organizations.

General information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available at www.fcc.gov/988 or https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/for-deaf-hard-of-hearing/. For further information, please contact Michelle Sclater, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-0388 or Michelle.Sclater@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).