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Chicago Tribune editorial: 988 emergency number would provide a stronger suicide lifeline

Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith / Students walk to class past an Active Minds demonstration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in March 2018. More than 1,000 backpacks were scattered across the lawn representing the number of college students who have lost their lives to suicide. Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith / Students walk to class past an Active Minds demonstration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in March 2018. More than 1,000 backpacks were scattered across the lawn representing the number of college students who have lost their lives to suicide.

By The Chicago Tribune via Tribune Content Agency January 20, 2020 3 min read

Extreme stress scrambles the brain, but it’s second nature to dial 911 to summon help in a crisis. Now a welcome sequel is coming, one that should allow mental health crises to be addressed more adeptly.

Pending federal legislation would establish 988 as the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is currently 800-273-TALK, or 800-273-8255, the Tribune’s Kate Thayer reports. The proposal to establish the number, currently in a period of public comment, has bipartisan support.

Anyone considering suicide should know that mental health disorders can be treated and that the hotline is available 24/7 at the existing nine-digit number. The 988 emergency number is not yet in use.

Suicide has been on an alarming rise. In 2017, more than 47,000 people in the United States died by suicide and 1.4 million attempted it. From 1999 to 2016, suicide increased in 49 of the 50 states.

While other types of gun violence grab headlines, by far the most gun deaths are suicides – a full two-thirds.