INDIANAPOLIS — Sept. 8 is Nation 988 Day — a time to share the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline message to friends and family.
988 Days emphasizes the importance of mental health and suicide prevention and the resources available.
The theme is "No Judgment. Just Help."
988 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. That could be:
- Thoughts of suicide
- Mental health or substance use crises
- Emotional distress
- And other reasons to connect (46 seconds)
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The urgent reality of the need for crisis services like 988 are apparent. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:
- The U.S. had one death by suicide about every 11 minutes
- For people aged 10–14 and 25–34 years, suicide was the second-leading cause of death
- Suicide rates increased significantly among non-Hispanic Black & American Indian and Alaska Native people
- More than 950,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.6 million adults attempted suicide
- About 107,000 people died from drug overdoses
The 12th leading cause of death in Indiana is suicide.
If you or someone you know is currently experiencing thoughts of suicide, or a mental health or substance use crisis, please call 988 to reach Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and speak with a trained crisis specialist 24/7.
