988 emergency: New three-digit suicide hotline number approved
The current emergency suicide hotline number in the U.S. is 1-800-273-8255 (or -TALK), as rapper Logic's hit of the same name taught us. But soon, it will be much easier to remember.
The FCC on Thursday approved a new three-digit emergency number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988.
While the number isn't currently active, it's an important step towards the change, which could save lives from day one.
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The move will not only make the hotline number much easier to remember, but is also aimed at putting mental health emergencies on the same footing as other life-threatening emergencies, like fires or accidents.
"No one is embarrassed to call 911 for a fire or an emergency," Dwight Holton, CEO of suicide prevention nonprofit Lines for Life, told the Associated Press.
"No one should be embarrassed to call 988 for a mental health emergency.”
The new number should also take pressure off 911 and first responders by putting people in touch with trained professionals who can help talk them through a crisis, rather than sending police or ambulance workers without the specific training, according to Holton.
Sam Brinton from LGBTQ nonprofit The Trevor Project praised the unanimous FCC decision in a statement.
"Shortening the Lifeline number to three digits, along with transferring calls to those who can best serve high-risk populations like LGBTQ youth — who are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers — will save lives," they said.
It will take a while for the change to come in, as FCC processes require a comment period, and then an order. Brinton urged that the proposal be implemented "as swiftly as possible."
Government figures released in June show the suicide rate in the U.S. is currently at its highest since World War II, with a 33% rise since 1999 and particularly large increases for First Nations people and 15- to 24-year-olds.
In 2018, PBS reported that the Lifeline, staffed by perpetually underfunded crisis centres, expected 12 million calls between then and 2022 — "the same number of calls it previously received for the 12-year period between 2005 and 2017."
Until the change is implemented, the number to call if you're struggling or thinking about hurting yourself remains 1-800-273-8255, or 1-800-273-TALK. Lines for Life offers a text service by texting 273TALK to 839863.
If you're in Australia, Lifeline is available on 13 11 14. In the UK, you can call Samaritans on 116 123. For more international resources, this list is a good place to start.
Topics FCC Health Social Good
Caitlin is Mashable's Australian Editor. She has written for The Guardian, Junkee, and any number of plucky little music and culture publications that were run on the smell of an oily rag and have since been flushed off the Internet like a dead goldfish by their new owners. She also worked at Choice, Australia's consumer advocacy non-profit and magazine, and as such has surprisingly strong opinions about whitegoods. She enjoys big dumb action movies, big clever action movies, cult Canadian comedies set in small towns, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Replacements, smoky mezcal, revenge bedtime procrastination, and being left the hell alone when she's reading.
