988 is catching on in KS and MO, with room to grow
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Use of the 988 mental health crisis line varies widely across the country, with Kansas and Missouri landing near the middle of the pack, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: The national suicide prevention and mental health hotline was launched nearly three years ago to help address America's mental health crisis — but gaps persist.
Zoom in: Missouri logged an average of 28.2 contacts per 1,000 residents last year, while Kansas came in at 26.7, per new research published in JAMA Network Open.
- The national average was 23.7.
Zoom out: Alaska (45.3 contacts per 1,000 people), Vermont (40.2) and New York (38.8) had the highest 988 contact rates among states in 2024, per new research published in JAMA Network Open.
- Delaware (12.5), Alabama (14.4) and Florida (15.6) had the lowest.
The big picture: The 988 service fielded more than 16.3 million calls, texts and chats between July 2022 and the end of 2024.
- The national contact rate was 48.9 per 1,000 people during that period, and 23.7 in 2024 alone.
How it works: "Contacts" include all calls, texts and chats sent to 988, including those forwarded along to more specific services, like the Veterans Crisis Line and the LGBTQ+ Line.
- Geography for calls and chats was assigned based on users' phone numbers, while texts were assigned by ZIP codes shared during pre-chat surveys.
What they're saying: Several factors may be contributing to the state and regional differences in 988 use, says study author Jonathan Purtle, associate professor and director of policy research at New York University's School of Global Public Health.
- That includes differences in how 988 is being advertised by states and cities, as well as political attitudes.
- Missouri launched a new ad campaign this spring to raise awareness of 988, with billboards, digital ads and social media messages encouraging people to call when in crisis.
- Many Americans remained unfamiliar with 988 as of last summer, per Ipsos polling.
- And surveys have found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to use 988, Purtle says: "We see this shake out in the map — in the South and more right-leaning places, we see lower volume."
Caveat: Less populous states have more variability due to their relatively smaller sample sizes, Purtle notes.
The latest: Starting July 17, SAMHSA will end the 988 Lifeline's "Press 3" LGBTQ+ youth option, which connected callers directly to counselors from The Trevor Project, a service launched in 2022 that supported about 1.3 million young people.
- This change comes after funding for the specialized line ran out despite the general 988 line remaining fully funded .
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988lifeline.org. En español.