The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is now offering its chat and text service in Spanish.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra made the announcement Thursday at an event celebrating the one-year anniversary of the country’s 988 mental health services hotline.

What You Need To Know

  • The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is now offering its chat and text service in Spanish

  • 988 chat and text services had previously only been available in English, though callers were also able to speak with crisis counselors in Spanish

  • The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched July 16, 2022

  • In its first year, 988 has handled 5 milion contacts — 2 million more than the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline it replaced

“So many of our young people prefer to text and chat,” Becerra said. “Now, if you call, you’ll get someone who actually speaks to you or texts with you or chats with you in Spanish, and that’s important.”

Studies have shown that being able to reach out for help in a person’s preferred language helps with emotional processing, according to Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, assistant secretary for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which created the 988 system as an easy-to-remember, easier-to-use version of the longstanding National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Rolled out nationally on July 16, 2022, as a free, 24/7 hotline for anyone experiencing any type of mental health-related distress, including individuals who are worried about a loved one and need crisis support, 988 was created as a result of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act Congress passed in 2020 to create a hotline accessible with the three-digit code 988. The purpose of 988 was to improve access to crisis services addressing suicide and mental health care and to cut down on the number of such calls to 911.

It seems to be working. Since its launch, 988 has processed more than 5 million contacts — 2 million more than the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s previous incarnation handled annually, Becerra said.

The 988 system works by connecting callers with the same trained crisis counselors as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline that had existed since 2005. While that earlier lifeline had operated as a telephone hotline only, 988 is also accessible through chat and text.

Until Thursday, 988 chat and text services were only available in English. Phone calls to 988 are already available in Spanish. Translation services for more than 250 languages are also available for those who dial in.

“The stigma around talking about mental health issues in Spanish-speaking communities is so strong that sometimes it’s easier for Spanish speakers to call and say, ‘I’m not calling for myself,’” a 988 crisis counselor said in a video explaining the need for 988 services in the second most common language spoken in the United States.

About 13% of the U.S. population speaks Spanish as their primary tongue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“With Spanish chat and text, what we’re anticipating is that people are going to feel more comfortable reaching out when they don’t have to hear somebody’s tone of voice, so I think we’ll see more openness from people,” the counselor said.

Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a network of more than 200 locally operated and funded crisis centers around the country.

HHS committed $23 million to help launch 988. The Biden-Harris administration has since committed almost $1 billion to make it work, Becerra said.