What is the 988 line and when do I use it?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
988 is the US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: free, confidential support 24/7 by call, text, or chat, through a network of over 200 local crisis centers. Use it for any emotional crisis - suicidal thinking, unstoppable panic, a substances breaking point, unsurvivable grief, or not knowing where to turn tonight. You can also call about someone you are worried about; counselors coach family and friends. Imminent danger still means 911. The bar for calling is simply that you are struggling and want a human.
What to do
- Save it now. Call or text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org - saved beats searched-for at 2 a.m.
- Call for yourself or someone else. Worried about a friend counts.
- Drop the "bad enough" test. Struggling and wanting a human is the whole bar.
- Keep 911 for imminent danger. Active overdose, attempt in progress, weapon: emergency services.
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