Myths & Facts of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
988 is the new phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center, designed to provide trained counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress. The goal of 988 is to be an easier number to remember in a crisis than its predecessor and expand the help it can offer for more than solely suicide-based crises. 988 was launched in July 2020, but the hotline has been around since 2005.
As with any new national service, there are rumors, criticisms, and doubts regarding the effectiveness and safety of using the hotline. Let’s address some of these concerns.
Myth:
My calls won’t be answered because 988 is understaffed and underfunded.
Fact:
According to 988’s quarterly reports, one in six calls are disconnected before reaching a counselor. However, as Hannah Collins, the administrator of the hotline, said in a Fortune article, “It is worth noting that 80% of callers that abandon do so after waiting two minutes or less after the greeting…Of all calls that were marked as Abandoned By Caller during 2021, 28% called back within 24 hours and were connected to a counselor.” While your local 988 operation may not yet be optimized for your area, it is still worth calling.
Myth:
The 988 hotline can geolocate my position.
Fact:
988 cannot geolocate callers. In emergency situations, 988 cooperates with 911 operators to assist first responders in finding callers at imminent risk of hurting themselves.
Myth:
I will be involuntarily detained if I call 988.
Fact:
According to John Draper, executive director of the hotline, most calls are de-escalated without law enforcement. The hotline’s policy holds that one of its goals is to “ensure that only the people who are truly at imminent risk of suicide will be seen in an emergency room, to the extent that they are willing to seek less invasive and more appropriate, available community supports that will keep them safe.” In other words, emergency services will only be called when the counselor feels that the caller is in imminent danger of harming themselves and the caller will not or cannot collaborate with the counselor to make a safety plan. Draper said in an NPR article that, at that point, “we have the choice of just letting [harm] happen or doing whatever we can to keep them safe.”
It is always advisable to research services before using them, but do not hesitate to get help in a crisis situation.