988

The attack occurred on the network for Intrado, the company that provides telecommunications services for the 988 helpline. The agency did not disclose details about who it believes launched the attack.

The three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline – 988 – fielded nearly half a million more calls, texts and chats in its first five months than the old 10-digit Lifeline did during the same time in 2021.

The crisis hotline has quickly expanded its reach in the six months since it launched, with more than 2 million calls. Plans are underway to keep the momentum going, expanding the service even further.

Hospitals in St. Petersburg and other parts of the U.S. are seeing more young people come in with suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The national crisis hotline was up and running Friday morning after being down for several hours Thursday. The telecommunications provider for the service says it experienced "an incident."

The center responded to more than triple its yearly average number of 211 calls from Charlotte County in just one week.

Her son was diagnosed with PTSD while he was in the Air Force, and after his deployment he showed suicidal signs that she didn't recognize. Now, she is turning the tragedy into help for others.

The money will pay for 10 staffers focused on handling 988 calls. Staff now are juggling those calls while also managing other helplines.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has answered thousands of 988 calls since the launch, and CEO Clara Reynolds says emergency responders have only had to get involved about 2% of the time.

Mental health advocates say the numbers are encouraging, but there's more work to be done to build up state and local resources.