The 988 Lifeline was designed to provide a single phone number (like 911 for emergency services) to help people in severe emotional distress, or may be potentially considering suicide. 

But as Johnathan Purtle, Associate Professor of Public Health Policy and Management at New York University’s School of Global Public Health reported in a recent Academic Minute podcast from NYU,  “Too often, well-intentioned policies fail because of challenges related to their implementation.”

Some highlights from the podcast:

• In one study, the NYU team found significant variation between states in call volume following the launch of 988 and the amount of money states dedicated to its implementation. For example, state spending in 2022 ranged from $4.73 to $0.30 per person. Another study revealed that only a third of state legislators’ social media posts about 988 encouraged people to seek help from the lifeline

• Just 10% mentioned government action related to 988—which was troubling because state legislators have a lot of influence over its financing. 

• A survey, conducted by the NYU team about a year after 988 launched, found that 42% of adults had heard of 988. But only a quarter of respondents said they were “very likely” to reach out to 988 if they or a loved one were experiencing a mental health crisis. 

• On a more promising note, NYU research found that use of 988 was higher among people with serious distress. That suggests that people with serious psychological distress were more likely to be aware of the lifeline than those with no distress, and that awareness and use are highest among those who need it most.

(Note: Barrett and Greene, Inc., also published a guest column about 988 about four months ago by Stephanie Pasternak, director, state affairs, government relations, policy and advocacy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The column lamented that due to implementation and funding issues, 988 was “just a shadow of what it could be.”)

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