April 23, 2026
Abigail Dollins/Imagn Images
There were more than 4,000 fewer suicides than expected among young people after the 988 lifeline launched in 2022, new research shows. Above, a hotline call taker in Oregon works in 2024.
Suicide rates dropped more than expected among teenagers and young adults following the launch of the 988 crisis hotline, new research shows.
The rates were 11% lower than expected among 15-to-34-year-olds between July 2022, when the crisis line debuted, and December 2024, the study found. It was published Wednesday in JAMA Network.
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The 988 rollout correlated with "a measurable reduction of deaths," Dr. Vishal Patel, a resident physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and one of the authors of the study, told the New York Times.
The researchers estimated what the mortality rate would be without the launch of the new lifeline by using federal data on suicide deaths among young people between January 1999 and June 2022. There were 4,372 fewer suicide deaths for people ages 15 to 34 after the 988 hotline debuted, the researchers found.
States that had more calls to the hotline saw steeper declines in suicide deaths among that age group.
The 988 hotline replaced a 10-digit national crisis line in 2022, with a $1.5 billion outlay to increase services at call centers. People who contact 988 are routed to counselors in their ZIP codes.
The hotline is available at all times by calling or texting 988. It helps people in emotional distress, facing mental health issues and concerns about substance use.
The line has received nearly 15 million calls and 4 million texts since its start, according to statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which funds 988.
"I think all signs point to the effectiveness of 988," Dr. Michael Liu, a researcher and resident physician at Brigham and Women's told STAT News. He noted the results are in line with past research that found higher hotline call volume is linked to fewer suicides.
Some experts who were not involved in the study said an increase in suicide prevention programs in schools and elsewhere, as well as the end of the pandemic, could be influencing the numbers.
"We were finally out of this crazy time, and there was a sense of optimism and hope," Jonathan Singer, a professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago and a co-author of "Suicide in Schools," told the New York Times. He added that the decrease in suicides among young people was "encouraging, but it is tempered by the fact that we don't have a good explanation as to why."
