The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.
This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know needs support now, call, text or chat the 988 Lifeline.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has responded to nearly 600,000 calls, texts, and chats from Ohioans in the three years since it was launched.
The 988 service was launched for those who are experiencing a mental health or addiction crisis can call, text or chat 988 to get support. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services administers the 988 Lifeline through an in-state network of contact centers.
“988 is a direct connection to compassionate, accessible care and support for anyone experiencing behavioral health related distress,” OhioMHAS Director LeeAnne Cornyn said in a press release. “By providing immediate support, the Lifeline makes behavioral health care more accessible for everyone, no matter where they are or what they’re facing.”
Since 988 launched in July 2022, there have been 592,294 total 988 contacts (calls, chats, and texts) from Ohioans, according to OhioMHAS.
This averages to 16,453 988 contacts per month — including 11,296 calls, 3,131 texts and 2,026 chats, according to OhioMHAS.
It takes an average of 23 seconds for 988 to answer in Ohio, compared to 34 seconds nationally, according to OhioMHAS.
“As more Ohioans become familiar with the service, our hope is that reaching out to 988 for a behavioral health crisis will become as natural as calling 911 for other types of emergencies,” Cornyn said.
The number of Ohioans who died by suicide decreased 1% in 2023, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 1,777 Ohioans died by suicide in 2023 — 20 fewer than 2022.
