Skip to main content

Small Increase Seen in Peer Support Services After Launch of 988

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 14, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 13, 2025 -- The launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) did not coincide with growth in the availability of most crisis services, apart from a small increase in peer support services, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Jonathan Cantor, Ph.D., from RAND in Santa Monica, California, and colleagues examined whether the launch of 988 was associated with the availability of crisis services in a cohort study characterizing trends in crisis services offered by U.S. mental health treatment facilities (MHTFs). Longitudinal data were obtained from the Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository.

The researchers found that across 15,623 MHTFs (184,769 observations: 79,268 before and 105,501 after the launch of 988), the largest changes were observed for availability of peer support services (increase from 39 to 42 percent) and emergency psychiatric walk-in services (decrease from 32 to 29 percent) from before to after the 988 launch. After the 988 launch, the odds of peer support availability increased 1.3 percent per month and odds of emergency psychiatric walk-in service availability decreased by 0.6 percent per month when controlling for MHTF characteristics (odds ratios, 1.013 and 0.994, respectively). At the national level, there was also a decrease seen in availability of other service types, with a decrease from 22 to 21 percent in mobile crisis response and from 69 to 68 percent in suicide prevention from before to after the 988 launch.

"Public health officials and policymakers may consider policies that boost the financing and availability of such services to increase the likelihood of success for 988," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted February 2025

Read this next

Combinations of Chronic, Physical Illnesses Up the Risk of Subsequent Depression

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 -- Certain groups of physical multimorbidity may be associated with a higher risk of subsequent depression, according to a study published online May 13...

Adding Team Therapist Reduces Burnout for Critical Care Nurses

TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- For nurses in critical care areas, adding a team therapist can reduce burnout and improve resilience, according to a study presented at the American...

Calorie Restrictions, Low-Fat Diets May Reduce Depressive Symptoms

MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- Among adults with elevated cardiometabolic risk, calorie restrictions and low-fat diets may reduce depressive symptoms, according to a review published...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.