JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The number of young people dying by suicide has gone down since the launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022. That's the conclusion of a recent study in the journal JAMA. Researchers observed 4,300 fewer suicides in the 2 1/2 years following the launch compared to what they'd projected from previous years' trends. Now, the study does not prove that the lifeline itself is responsible for the decline. It merely shows a strong link. But states where use of the hotline went up the most saw a larger decline in suicide deaths. Here to discuss the implications is Angela Kimball. She's the chief advocacy officer at Inseparable, which is a mental health advocacy group. Welcome.
ANGELA KIMBALL: Thank you, Juana, so much.
SUMMERS: Angela, if you could just start by telling us, what was your immediate reaction when you saw the study?
KIMBALL: Oh, my gosh. That JAMA story really offered some real hope. Suicide's second leading cause of death for 15- to 34-year-olds in America. Second. And rates have been climbing since 2000. But now, as you mentioned, researchers are showing 11% fewer suicides in that age group between 2022 and the end of 2024. That's extraordinary.
SUMMERS: Do we know anything about why there's been more use of the lifeline in some states and not as much in others?
KIMBALL: So that JAMA study found that the 10 states with the greatest increases in 988 call volume were Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. So there's (ph) a diverse group of states.
SUMMERS: Yeah.
KIMBALL: And they saw an 18% decrease in suicide deaths among 15- to 34-year-olds. And states with the smallest increases in call volume saw a decrease closer to 11%, so still meaningful, but a notable gap. And we don't yet fully understand why those rates differ. And that's exactly why more research is needed. But the pattern is really very clear. Where 988 use grew the most, suicide deaths fell the steepest.
SUMMERS: I have to say, hearing you describe that, I wonder - if the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is indeed helping to drive down suicide deaths among young people in this country, is there anything that can be done to get more people in some of these states to use that lifeline?
KIMBALL: Absolutely. Let's start with awareness because that's really foundational. 988 is not yet 4 years old, and too many people have never heard of it. But states are stepping up. Some of them are launching public service campaigns - requiring 988 on student ID cards, posting 988 in train stations and on buses - because if people don't know 988 exists, they won't use it.
SUMMERS: Last summer, the Trump administration shut down the part of the lifeline that specifically served LGBTQ callers, and that's something that happened after the study period in the research that we've been speaking about. But do you have a sense of how that could affect the efficacy of the lifeline?
KIMBALL: The 988 lifeline is so critical for people who are at high risk, and we know the LGBTQ+ community is at particularly high risk for suicide. So we're concerned about how that's going to play out. There are a number of states who have stepped up to invest their own state funds in trying to ensure that there are LGBTQ+-specific counselors on those lines and trying to, in a sense, make up for that lack of a specific line at the federal level.
SUMMERS: As we mentioned, the study does not prove definitively that the lifeline itself is responsible for this decline. There could be other factors at play. What else might explain the drop in suicides here?
KIMBALL: The lifeline is really the front door to crisis care, and that really represents someone to talk to, which is the first leg of a three-legged stool. But we need more for some people. So in that three-legged stool, think about it as someone to call, someone to respond and a safe place for help. So the lifeline is that someone to call. Someone to respond typically means a mobile crisis team that meets people where they are. And a safe place for help means crisis stabilization centers, which are usually a living room-style environment that offers a recovery-oriented alternative to costly and often traumatic emergency department visits and hospitalizations. So states are increasingly investing in all three legs because they work.
SUMMERS: We've been speaking with Angela Kimball with the mental health advocacy group Inseparable. Thank you so much.
KIMBALL: Thank you, Juana.
SUMMERS: And if you or someone you know is in crisis or if you're thinking about hurting yourself, you can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's 988. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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