The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth will no longer be operation starting July 17, according to a statement from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The administration said in its statement that everyone who contacts the 988 lifeline will continue to receive access to crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress, but there will no longer be the LGBTQ+ specialized services.
Soon after its launch in July 2022, the 988 Lifeline included a subnetwork for LGBTQ+ individuals to connect with specialized services, in which people dialing 988 are given the option to press 3 to reach crisis counselors trained to work with LGBTQ+ youth and adults under 25.
According to the latest data from SAMHSA, more than 14.5 million people have called, texted or sent chats to the 988 Lifeline and have been transferred to a crisis contact center since July 2022. Nearly 1.3 million of those were routed to the LGBTQ+ specialized service.
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