The rollout of 988 as the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline may have saved more than 150,000 more lives in one month than it would have before the transition, according to data released last week.
In a statement last week, the Department of Health and Human Services released data showing a 45% increase in overall volume last month compared with August 2021, representing 152,000 more contacts that include calls, chats and texts.
"Annually, the mental health in the U.S. has been declining, what COVID has done is send that into a tail-spin," said Dr. Rheeda Walker, an expert on mental health and suicide prevention, and a psychology professor at the University of Houston. "Having an opportunity to be able to speak to someone who is going to be non-judgmental ... it's immeasurable in how important that is.
Suicides in this population increased nearly 20% from 2015 to 2020 compared with a less than 1% increase among the overall U.S. population, according to the report.
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