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The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ pilot program will now be providing text and chat services 24/7.
“We are thrilled that the 988 Lifeline LGBTQ+ pilot line will be expanding services across all modalities,” said Dr. Tia Dole, the chief lifeline officer at Vibrant Emotional Health. “We know that LGBTQIA youth is one of the most at-risk communities for suicide. Vibrant, SAMHSA, and 988 want to be there to change that through affirming care.”
She explained, “Expanding this service is a major step forward in strengthening 988, the mental health safety net for all people in America.”
Following an initial $7.2 million investment from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, lifeline’s LGBTQ-specific pilot program launched in September (SAMHSA).
With phone services available 24/7, users can dial 3 and speak with a crisis counselor trained to support LGBTQ children and young adults.
Initially, the chat and text services were only available during select hours.
“We want all young people who are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis or who are feeling suicidal to know they can call, text or chat 988 any time of day without fear of judgment and with the expectation that when they do reach out for help, they are met with affirming compassionate support,” said Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, the head of SAMHSA. “So far, the demand for the services provided by this pilot program has exceeded even our own expectations. This response has shown us the value in providing a specialized service for LGBTQI+ young people, who we know are at higher risk for suicide.”
According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey trends report for 2011–2021, over 20% of LGBQ students attempted suicide, and about 45% of LGBQ students had significant thoughts of suicide in that year.
According to the CDC data, that figure contrasts with the 15% of heterosexual students who had severe thoughts of suicide and the 6% who had attempted it during that same year.
“Increasing access to LGBTQ-inclusive crisis care services is critical for addressing the public health crisis of youth suicide, as we know LGBTQ youth continue to face unique challenges, victimization, and barriers to care across all 50 states,” he said.
“When an LGBTQ young person reaches out for help in a moment of crisis — where every second counts — it’s vital that they are met with compassion and care from a trained counselor who understands them,” Suffredini said. “This expansion of services is another step forward in reimagining crisis care in the U.S., as we continue the collective work to raise awareness of the 988 Lifeline among the most marginalized communities and build upon its infrastructure to expand access to non-police crisis intervention responses and long-term mental health, behavioral health and addiction care.”
