Nevada ranks 12th highest in the nation for suicide. On average, 632 Nevadans die by suicide each year. Deaths by suicide are the leading cause of death in Nevada for ages 10 to 17.
Suicide is most often preventable. More than 90% of people who attempt suicide go on to live out their lives. We can all help prevent suicide.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is here to help.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people with a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The lifeline is also available to provide prevention and crisis resources for loved ones as well as best practices for professionals.
Here are the three ways to access mental health crisis services through 988:
- Call 988: When calling 988, callers first hear a greeting message while their call is routed to the local Lifeline network crisis center (based on the caller’s area code). A trained crisis counselor answers the phone, listens to the caller to hear how their challenges and/or pain are affecting them, provides support, and shares resources if needed. If the local crisis center is unable to take the call, the caller is automatically routed to a national backup crisis center. The Lifeline provides live crisis center phone services in English and Spanish and uses Language Line Solutions to provide translation services in over 250 additional languages for people who call 988.
- Text 988: When someone texts to 988, they are responded to by a group of Lifeline crisis centers that answer both chats and texts. Once you are connected, a crisis counselor listens to you, works to understand how your problem is affecting you, provides support, and shares resources that may be helpful. Currently, texting is available in English only.
- Chat online - //988lifeline.org/chat: People seeking chat services are provided a pre-chat survey before connecting with a counselor, who identifies the main area of concern. If there is a wait to chat with a crisis counselor, a wait-time message will appear. If demand is high, people can access the Lifeline’s “helpful resources” while waiting. Once you are connected, a crisis counselor listens to you, works to understand how your problem is affecting you, provides support, and shares resources that may be helpful. Currently, chat is available in English only.
People contacting 988 are not required to provide any personal data to receive services. Currently, the Lifeline automatically routes calls by area code to the nearest crisis center. Because people commonly keep their same mobile phone numbers even when they’ve moved to other cities, or they may contact 988 when traveling, a caller can be routed to a crisis center that is not their "home" location. If the person wants to be connected to additional local services or requires emergency service, they may need to disclose their actual location to the 988 Lifeline crisis counselor. When a caller is at immanent risk of dying and we cannot help them to stay safe, a crisis counselor is required to use 911 for a welfare check (this occurs in fewer than 1 % of calls to the 988 Lifeline).
Crisis Support Services of Nevada is our state’s crisis center partner. The organization is considered to be one of the longest continuously-operating crisis centers in the country and responds to calls and texts coming in through 988 and the still active 10-digit hotline number; they have seen a double-digit volume increase since the three-digit lifeline has been active.
The primary goal of the Lifeline is to provide support for people in suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress in the moments they most need it and in a manner which is person-centered. The vast majority of those seeking help from the Lifeline do not require any additional interventions at that moment. Currently, fewer than 2% of Lifeline calls require connection to emergency services like 911. While some safety and health issues may warrant a response from law enforcement and/or emergency medical services (namely when a suicide attempt is in progress), the 988 coordinated response is intended to promote stabilization and care in the least restrictive manner. All Lifeline crisis centers adhere to the Lifeline’s Imminent Risk Policy, which means that crisis center staff work through active engagement to provide support and assistance for people at risk in the least restrictive setting possible. In fact, most contacts with the Lifeline are resolved by the Lifeline itself, by chat or phone, in a manner that does not require additional immediate intervention.
For more information about 988, visit 988lifeline.org/.