Dial 988 To Reach The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline If you or a loved one are contemplating suicide or have substance abuse or other mental health issues, call the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. The 988 Lifeline provides free and confidential support from trained counselors to people in a suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the U.S. The 988 Lifeline operates through what was formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is a network of over 200 locally operated and funded crisis centers around the country. Here are some sobering statistics provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which operates the Lifeline: In 2020 alone, the U.S. had one death by suicide about every 11 minutes For people aged 10 to 34 years, suicide is a leading cause of death From April 2020 to 2021, over 100,000 individuals died from drug overdoses In 2020, the Lifeline received 2.4 million calls from across the United States – 142,827 were from New York State. Of those calls, 28,809 were directed to the Veterans Crisis Line and 2,980 were directed to the Spanish Language Line. Don’t become a statistic: Call 988 for help.