The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was contacted most frequently in Alaska and Vermont, and least frequently in Delaware and Alabama, according to a study published JAMA Network Open June 9.
The 988 lifeline was launched in 2022. The line was contacted 16.3 million times between July 2022 and December 2024.
Here are five things to know:
- The national 988 contact incidence was 48.8 per 1,000 people. The researchers estimated 2.4% of the population has used the service since its launch.
- In the past year, an estimated 1.6% of the population has used the service.
- The service was most frequently used in the West, where 27.1 in 1,000 people contacted 988 in the past year. It was least frequently used in the South, where 20 in 1,000 individuals used the service.
- Alaska had the highest 988 contact incidence, by state, at 45.3 per 1,000 contacting 988 in the past year. The rate was lowest in Delaware, where 12.5 in 1,000 contacted the lifeline.
- Of all contacts, 70% were calls, 18% were texts, and 12% were chats.
The study was conducted by researchers at the New York University School of Global Public Health, and the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Read the full study here.
