988 Lifeline sees boost in use

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline received more than 1.7 million calls, texts and chats in its first five months.

That's nearly half a million more than its predecessor, the old 10-digit Suicide Prevention Lifeline, during the same time period a year earlier.

The 988 number connects people who are suicidal or in any other mental health crisis to a trained mental health professional, NPR reports.

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