Cleveland.com reports: 988 crisis hotline could be contributing to fewer youth suicide deaths

Rick Oliver, Director of Crisis Services

Rick Oliver, FrontLine’s Director of Crisis Services, was recently interviewed by Julie Washington at Cleveland.com to discuss recent JAMA findings about how the 988 suicide prevention hotline may be responsible for lowered rates of youth suicide.

Nation-wide, the youth suicide rate has dropped 11% below projections, with Cuyahoga County seeing a similar reduction. In 2022, the federal government launched the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which replaced the 10-digit 1-800-273-TALK number. Calls and texts to the hotline have more than doubled since the switch to a shorter number, with the national hotline has fielding more than 25 million calls since its launch.

In the article, Rick says “it’s connected to the whole mindset around a three-digit number for help. If I need police, fire or EMS, I call 911. If it’s a behavioral health crisis, I call 988, and I’m going to get the response that’s tailored to what I need.” FrontLine is Cuyahoga County’s 988 provider, answering an average of 200 calls per day.

Read the full article here: https://tinyurl.com/2hfu8n3y

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call, text or chat 988. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.