Soon you can call 988 during a mental health crisis. Here’s how it will work in Texas
Three numbers will initiate a massive transformation in the nation’s emergency mental health system starting Saturday.
988. It’s the new, three-digit shortcut that will direct callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline receives millions of calls every year, from people who are in crisis and are experiencing suicidal thoughts to people who simply need someone to talk to about their pain.
People calling with a local area code will be directed to the local call center for the lifeline, which is operated by My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, the mental health authority. MHMR’s center, known as the iCare Call Center, will provide coverage for 71 counties in Texas. If MHMR’s center is overwhelmed, calls will go to a backup center elsewhere in the country. Eventually, the goal is to have as many local calls answered locally as possible.
Hannah Wesolowski, the chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said she hopes calling 988 will be as familiar in the U.S. as calling 911.
“It’s really a once in a generation opportunity to fundamentally transform part of the mental health system,” Wesolowski said in an interview in April. “We’ve really opened the door to reimagining how crisis response looks.”
An estimated 12 million people in the U.S. call the lifeline, 911, or local crisis centers every year when they or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or some other mental health crisis. The lifeline was recommended as an easier way for people to get help immediately, and a first line of response to keep people safe from suicide as suicide rates remain stubbornly high in the U.S.
Research has found that callers who are in distress or who are experiencing suicidal thoughts find talking to a trained counselor on the other end of the lifeline is helpful, said Madelyn Gould, a professor at Columbia University who has researched the lifeline for years.
“They really express their gratitude,” Gould said. “They really will report to us, the vast majority of them, that it stopped them from killing themselves.”
But not all callers in crisis are able to get through. In 2020, a federal report said the lifeline only had enough staff and capacity to answer about 85% of calls, 56% or texts, and 30% of chats. Call, text and chat volume is only expected to increase in the coming years, both because 988 will be easier to remember and because call volume has steadily grown in the last decade.
And on top of adequately staffing the call centers, communities throughout the U.S. will need to determine how to work with emergency responders and police in cases where someone is at risk of hurting themselves.
All of these challenges mean that even longtime advocates of the 988 number have cautioned that it will take years for 988 to work as smoothly and to be as well known as 911.
Gould said expectations that the 988 lifeline would turn on “like flipping a switch” were unrealistic.”
“This is still a relatively short turnaround time with regard to getting a nationwide crisis mental health system up and running,” she said.
How to get help
There are multiple places to turn if you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts.
Starting Saturday, if you dial 988 you’ll be directed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you are calling from a local area code, your call will likely be routed to MHMR’s call center in Fort Worth. If you have an area code from out of town, and want to reach MHMR, you can contact them directly by calling or texting 800-866-2465. Calling this number directly will ensure you reach MHMR of Tarrant County.
You can also text 741741 or reach the online chat at suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat.
Veterans can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, and then press “1” to be routed to the Veterans Crisis Line.
All services are available 24/7 and are free and confidential. Live translation is available for people who do not speak English.
