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WEKU
WEKU
Health
Rhitu Chatterjee

New 988 mental health crisis line sees jump in calls and texts during first month

A bookmark advertising the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline emergency telephone number displayed by a volunteer with the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force, in Casper, Wyoming on August 14, 2022. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is already reaching more Americans in distress – and connecting them to help faster — than the old 10-digit suicide prevention line it replaced July 16.

New data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that in August – the first full month that 988 was operational — the Lifeline saw a 45% increase in overall volume of calls, texts and chats compared to August 2021.

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