Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities. There are many factors that contribute to suicide, and the goal of suicide prevention is to reduce factors that increase risk and increase factors that promote resilience.
During the month of July we are sharing information on mental health and social-emotional wellbeing. Included in this are strategies to prevent suicide, courtesy the CDC, which can be found here.
Additionally, the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 988, will take effect on Saturday, July 16.
The 988 dialing code will become the new national number routing callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline across the U.S. on July 16. The new phone line will be accessible 24/7/365 by call or text. Similar to calling 911 for emergency response, the three-digit number is easy to remember for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or struggling with emotional distress, or for those worried about a friend to loved one.
When individuals call or text 988 they will be connected with trained counselors from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. Counselors will listen, understand how the caller’s problems are affecting them, provide support and connect them to resources if necessary. The Lifeline can also be reached through online chat suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat.
The current Lifeline hotline number, 1-800-273-8255, will remain in service even after the launch of 988. Dialing either number will route callers to the same services, no matter which number they use.
To learn more about 988, click here. To learn more about how calls to the Lifeline are routed, click here.
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