Psychology › Mental health & disorders › Depression and mood disorders
Suicide prevention and the 988 lifeline
988 launched 2022· Concept
Well replicatedStrong, repeated evidence.
Efforts to reduce suicide, from crisis lines such as the US 988 lifeline to limiting access to lethal means.
See it on the Psychology map →What it says
About 49,000 Americans and roughly 720,000 people worldwide die by suicide each year; South Korea has long had the highest rate among OECD countries. Since July 2022, calling or texting 988 in the US reaches trained crisis counselors; South Korea's national line is 109. Crises are often brief, so putting time and distance between a person and lethal means saves lives: over half of US suicides involve firearms. Asking someone directly about suicide does not plant the idea.
Why it matters
Suicide is often preventable. Treatment for depression and other conditions, crisis support, and follow-up after hospital discharge all reduce deaths.
The evidence
When Britain replaced toxic coal gas in the 1960s, suicides fell by about a third. Trials support safety planning, follow-up contacts and specific therapies; studies show asking does not raise risk.
Open questions
Why US rates rose about 35 percent from 1999 to 2018, and why South Korea's remain so high, are partly explained by economics, isolation and access to means, but debated.
Connections (2)
▸Suicide prevention and the 988 lifeline help people in crisis with Depression and mood disordersWell replicated
The connection
Depression is involved in a large share of suicides, so recognizing and treating it is central to prevention. Crisis lines such as 988, safety planning and follow-up after hospital discharge help people through the acute peak, while therapy and medication treat the underlying depression.
Who showed it and when
Organized prevention grew from the 1950s, with the Samaritans (London, 1953) and the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center (1958); the US 988 line launched in July 2022.
The evidence
Psychological autopsy studies find a mental disorder, most often depression, in most people who die by suicide; trials show treatment and follow-up contacts reduce attempts.
Open questions
Psychological autopsy methods are debated, and many people who die by suicide were never diagnosed, so reaching them is a key open problem.
▸Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) reduces self-harm, supporting Suicide prevention and the 988 lifelineWell replicated
The connection
DBT was built for people with repeated suicidal behavior. Patients track urges on daily diary cards, learn distress-tolerance skills to get through crises without harming themselves, and can phone their therapist for coaching. Trials show fewer suicide attempts and less self-harm, evidence few other therapies have.
Who showed it and when
Marsha Linehan's trials at the University of Washington in Seattle (1991, 2006), followed by adolescent trials in Norway (2014) and the US (2018).
The evidence
In Linehan's 2006 trial of 101 women, DBT roughly halved suicide attempts compared with expert community therapists; a 2018 US trial of teens found similar gains.
Open questions
Completed suicides are too rare to measure well in trials, so effects on them are unclear; long-term benefits and results outside specialist centers need more study.