NPR (1/16, Chatterjee) reports, “The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline received over 1.7 million calls, texts and chats in its first five months,” a figure that is “nearly half a million more than the old 10-digit Suicide Prevention Lifeline fielded during the same period the year before.” According to federal data “the Lifeline responded to 154,585 more contacts – including calls, text messages and chats – in November 2022 than the same month the year before,” and “the average wait time to speak to a counselor also fell – from close to three minutes in November 2021, to 36 seconds last November.”
Related Links:
— “988 Lifeline sees boost in use and funding in first months “Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, January 16, 2023