About 988
Calling 988 connects Pennsylvanians to safe, secure, and confidential behavioral or mental health crisis services.
Call 988 if you or someone you know is:
- depressed,
- going through a hard time,
- needs to talk, or
- is thinking about suicide.
The crisis counselors are here to listen and support you through whatever difficult times you may be facing. Georouting (not caller area code) is in the process of being implemented to determine which 988 call center should receive the call. By the end of 2024, the Commonwealth anticipates 14 call centers as two are on onboarding now.
In 2020, Congress designated the new 988 dialing code to be operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sees 988 as a first step towards a transformed crisis care system in America.
Find Support Near You
Crisis counselors located in PA can connect you to local resources.
Callers are directed to a local 988 call center based on a caller's area code where trained professionals are waiting to listen and assist. Counselors located at 12 crisis call centers around Pennsylvania can immediately provide phone-based support and connections to local resources.
If needed, the counselor can:
- Activate a mobile mental health crisis team that will arrive on site;
- Provide therapeutic interventions; and/or
- Make referrals for outpatient services or transportation for further evaluation.
By directing cases to 988 when a behavioral health or mental crisis isn't life-threatening, the response provided by public services, such as law enforcement and EMS, can be reserved for situations in which lives are endangered.
If a local call center does not answer the call within 60 seconds, the call will be routed to one of Pennsylvania's three regional 988 call centers. If a regional call center is unavailable, the call will be routed to the national backup network able to assess the crisis and connect to local assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
A trained crisis counselor is available to you by phone, text, or chat. No matter how you choose to reach out, they will listen, work to understand how your problem is affecting you, provide support, and share resources, if needed.
Trained crisis response professionals can support individuals considering suicide, self-harm, or any behavioral or mental health need for themselves or people looking for help for a loved one experiencing a mental health crisis.
There are many reasons why people connect with 988. Some examples, in addition to thoughts of suicide, are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, drinking too much, drug use, feeling depressed, mental and physical illness, struggles with sexual orientation, loneliness, and economic worries.
Yes, people using 988 are not required to provide any payment or insurance information to receive support.
In Pennsylvania, 93% of calls are resolved through conversations with call center staff, without further intervention.
Numerous studies have shown that most 988 callers are significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking to a crisis counselor.
Behavioral and mental health crisis services first became available through 988 in July 2022. Individuals can call, text, or chat with 988 and will be directly connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The existing Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) remains available. Callers can also connect with the Veterans Crisis Line or assistance in Spanish.
Yes. Although the 10-digit number was transitioned to the easier-to-remember “988” in July 2022, it remains functional and will connect you to 988 Lifeline services.