Suicide rates have declined since the launch of 988 suicide hotline, study finds

Suicide rates among teens and young adults declined in the two years after the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We have some good news this morning about the mental health of young people in the U.S. Suicides among teens and young adults declined after the launch of the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022. That is the finding of a new study published in JAMA. NPR Health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee is here with the findings. Good morning, Rhitu. RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel. MARTIN: You know, we've heard so much concerning news about young people's mental health in recent years. So this is very welcome. CHATTERJEE: Yep. MARTIN: What kind of a decline in suicide are we talking about? CHATTERJEE: So suicide deaths in 15- to 34-year-olds fell by 11% between the launch of the lifeline in July 2022 and December 2024. And, you know, that translates to 4,300 fewer suicides during that time compared to what the researchers would've expected based on trends, you know, in prior years. And I spoke with Hannah Wesolowski, the chief advocacy officer at the National Alliance for Mental Illness, or NAMI. And here's what she said about these findings. HANNAH WESOLOWSKI: I'm deeply hopeful by this data. You know, I think we've all known it's the right thing to do, but this is data validation that the suicide rate for young people and young adults is lower than expected. …