Launch of 988 National Suicide Hotline Associated with 11% Drop in Youth Suicide Rates

A JAMA study published Wednesday found that suicide deaths among adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 34 dropped 11% compared to projected rates after the U.S. launched the 988 national suicide and crisis hotline in July 2022, with approximately 35,500 deaths occurring versus a predicted 39,900 through December 2024. States with the greatest increases in answered 988 calls—averaging 146% growth—experienced an 18% reduction in youth suicides, while states with smaller call increases of 24% still saw nearly 11% declines. The observational study cannot prove causation, and researchers note older adults showed much smaller suicide rate reductions, consistent with lower hotline usage in that demographic. Funding challenges persist as only 12 states have established telecom fees to sustain the program, while the Trump administration recently removed and then committed to restoring specialized LGBTQ+ services that accounted for 10% of all calls.

Study findings linking 988 hotline launch to reduced youth suicide rates

• ▪Between July 2022 and December 2024, about 35,500 people ages 15 to 34 died by suicide, compared to a predicted 39,900
• ▪Older adults, who are less likely to use the 988 lifeline, saw a much smaller reduction in suicide rates after 988 launched
• ▪Michael Liu is a researcher on the JAMA 988 study and resident physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston
• ▪States with the greatest increase in 988 call volume saw an average 146% increase in calls and an 18% reduction in suicides versus projections between July 2022 and December 2024
• ▪The 988 national suicide and crisis hotline was launched in 2022
• ▪States including North Dakota, Virginia, Indiana, New York, and Rhode Island with the greatest increase in call volume to the 988 lifeline saw significant declines in suicide mortality among young people
• ▪A JAMA study published Wednesday found that suicide deaths among adolescents and young adults dropped 11% compared to projected rates after the U.S. launched 988 as a shortened phone number for the national suicide and crisis hotline
• ▪The number of suicide deaths in the U.S. dropped slightly in 2024 from a peak in 2022
• ▪States with the smallest 988 call-volume increase, an average of 24%, saw suicide rates fall nearly 11%

Funding challenges and state-level implementation of 988

• ▪The federal budget has maintained funding for 988 since President Trump returned to office

Political controversy over LGBTQ+ services and program sustainability

• ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Sen. Tammy Baldwin that the administration is working on getting the LGBTQ+ option for 988 up now
• ▪The Trump administration removed the press three option that connected callers to specialized services for LGBTQ+ young people from the 988 lifeline last year
• ▪Young LGBTQ+ people have a higher risk for suicidality and accounted for 10% of all 988 calls
• ▪President Trump signed the law that introduced the 988 lifeline toward the end of his first term
• ▪At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed to restoring the LGBTQ+ option for the 988 lifeline

Perspective of Mental health policy researchers

• ▪Jonathan Purtle focuses his research at NYU School of Global Public Health on how mental health policies like 988 are actually implemented in practice

Perspective of State legislators considering 988 funding

• ▪Only 12 states had successfully established telecom fees to fund the 988 lifeline as of last summer despite the program launching in 2022

Perspective of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups

• ▪The Trump administration's removal of the LGBTQ+ specialized option from 988 eliminated a service used by a population with disproportionately high suicidality rates
• ▪Sen. Tammy Baldwin pressed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a Senate hearing to restore LGBTQ+ services to the 988 hotline

Perspective of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline administrators

• ▪The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline experiences increasing call volume every year since its 2022 launch, creating growing operational demands