(WXYZ) — A new suicide hotline number and mental health crisis lifeline will launch Saturday. All you have to do is dial 988 to get the help you might need.
If you need support before July 16, you can call 1-800-273-8255 or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's chat to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
The 988 number will conect people to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline where they can speak to someone who will help them through their mental health-related distress.
The move to 988 does not mean the original number will go away. 988 is an easier-to-remember number, but people can still call 1-800-273-8255.
When you call the number, you will hear a greeting while the call is routed to a local lifeline crisis center, and a trained crisis counselor will answer the phone.
In 2020, Congress designed the new 988 dialing code to be operated through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and it received $282 million from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan to help ramp up mental health efforts across the country.
