FCC approves '988' as the new number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,255   +192
Staff member
What just happened? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday voted to make “988” the official three-digit number to dial to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. From July 16, 2022, all telecommunications carriers in the US will be required to forward 988 calls to the existing hotline number, 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK).

The FCC said the existing number will remain operational during and after the transition.

According to data cited by the FCC, suicide ranks as the 10th leading cause of death in the US since 2008 and claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Americans in 2018. Last year, the FCC proposed establishing 988 as an easy-to-remember number – like the “911” for suicide prevention and mental health services.

FCC commissioners unanimously voted to approve the measure.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said July 2022 was the “earliest technically feasible date for nationwide implementation,” adding that they rejected calls for a longer implementation period. “The record reflects that we can get this done in two years, and the importance of the issue suggests we must get it done by then. It is literally a lifeline,” Pai said.

Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel believes the agency should have been even more ambitious in its approach.

“Right now, the FCC lacks a plan to incorporate the ability to text into the number we established today. But as we confront the rise in suicide by teenagers across the country, we should acknowledge that texting is their primary form of communication,” Rosenworcel added.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is comprised of roughly 170 crisis centers that receive local and state as well as public and private funding.

Images courtesy TZIDO SUN, Champion studio

Permalink to story.

 
Truly suicidal people actually commit suicide. It's a point of no return.

The people who call help lines are looking for attention. those people usually have suicidal ideation and want to talk to someone.

Then there are people who attempt suicide and fail. Statistically, men use more violent means (guns) while women use less violent means and less certain means such as pills/chemicals.
 
Truly suicidal people actually commit suicide. It's a point of no return.

The people who call help lines are looking for attention. those people usually have suicidal ideation and want to talk to someone.

Then there are people who attempt suicide and fail. Statistically, men use more violent means (guns) while women use less violent means and less certain means such as pills/chemicals.

I dispatched for a sheriff's office for about 15 year... anytime you would get a call that
said I just took a bottle of tylenol, you knew they were just looking for help. All that
will do is destroy your liver. And, once they get them to the hospital and stick a tube
down into their stomach, pump it full of charcoal and then pump it out, the smell alone
will pretty much stop them from doing that again, or finding some way to actually do it.
 
Truly suicidal people actually commit suicide. It's a point of no return.

The people who call help lines are looking for attention. those people usually have suicidal ideation and want to talk to someone.

Then there are people who attempt suicide and fail. Statistically, men use more violent means (guns) while women use less violent means and less certain means such as pills/chemicals.

I am not sure what you are trying to imply here, but it is an overly simple take, people who have "suicidal ideation" can turn "truly suicidal" or become unproductive people through using substance abuse as coping mechanism. And hearted attempts at suicide will damage bodies and use up precious medical resources.

Is cheaper to treat clogged arteries than heart attacks after all, and one leads to the other. And cheaper still to have lessen chance of clogged arteries but having balanced diet.
 
I am not sure what you are trying to imply here, but it is an overly simple take, people who have "suicidal ideation" can turn "truly suicidal" or become unproductive people through using substance abuse as coping mechanism. And hearted attempts at suicide will damage bodies and use up precious medical resources.

Is cheaper to treat clogged arteries than heart attacks after all, and one leads to the other. And cheaper still to have lessen chance of clogged arteries but having balanced diet.
Uh Yea, Whatever
 
Back