New 988 Crisis Number

The new 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline went live on July 16, 2022. This support is for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress – whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. NAMI’s FAQ document answers many questions about the service. 

If you would like to learn more about the integration of 988 into the Massachusetts behavioral healthcare system you can “Take 15 Minutes for 988” and watch our affiliate video on the subject. The launch of 988 can be viewed as a first step towards a comprehensive, more caring, crisis response system built around three pillars of interaction:  someone to talk to, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. The video mentions some legislative efforts in the Commonwealth that have been signed in to law since the video was created in late June 2022.