The 988 suicide prevention services hotline is rolling out 24/7 text message and chat services for LGBTQI+ youth, building on a pilot program launched amid a mental health crisis.
The hotline launched a pilot program in 2022 for specialized call, chat, and text services for LGBTQI+ youth and young adults. While call services were available 24/7, LGBTQI+-specific text messages and chat were only available from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily on the East Coast.
As of Monday, those text and chat services will be available around the clock, according to a spokeperson for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, which oversees 988.
A 2022 survey from the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focusing on crisis support, 45% of LGBTQ youth had seriously considered suicide in the period of a year. The survey also found that 60% of LGBTQ youth who had wanted mental health care couldn’t get it.
State legislatures across the US have introduced bills targeting LGBTQ people. The American Civil Liberties Union is following over 320 such pieces of legislation.
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