UNDERNEWS: Suicide prevention and mental health calls

June 14, 2025

Suicide prevention and mental health calls

A choropleth map showing 988 calls, texts and chats by state per 1,000 people in 2024. Alaska leads at 45.3, while Delaware trails at 12.5.

Data: Purtle J, Mauri AI, Bandara S, Stuart EA.; Map: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios

Axios - Use of the 988 national suicide prevention and mental health hotline remains uneven across states.

The service was launched nearly three years ago to help address America's mental health crisis — but gaps persist.

Alaska (45.3 contacts per 1,000 people), Vermont (40.2) and New York (38.8) had the highest 988 contact rates among states in 2024, per new research published in JAMA Network Open.

Delaware (12.5), Alabama (14.4) and Florida (15.6) had the lowest.

The 988 service fielded more than 16.3 million calls, texts and chats between July 2022 and the end of 2024.

Still, many Americans remained unfamiliar with 988 as of last summer, per Ipsos polling.

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