Minnesota’s 988 Lifeline is seeing record demand
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports 988 Minnesota Lifeline centers have answered more than 370,000 contacts since launch.
The lifeline is the national suicide and crisis hotline, providing free, 24/7 mental health support.
In Minnesota, contacts climbed from about 25,000 in the first six months of the program to about 83,000 in the first half of 2026. MDH said statewide contacts increased 48% from 2024 to 2025.
Carolina De Los Rios, director of the United Way Twin Cities 988 Lifeline Center, which serves the metro and surrounding areas, said the increase is clear inside their call center. “We have seen an increase of like 25% in the call volume,” she said. “We were taking 25,000 calls last year, and now we are close to 30,000.”
She said her center supports people facing a wide range of mental health challenges. “We answer calls for people that are in emotional distress, that have suicidal ideation, that are having struggles understanding challenges with their mental health,” she said.
De Los Rios said anxiety has become one of the most common reasons people reach out. “We are seeing an increase in people experiencing anxiety. Unfortunately, that is something that has almost doubled what we were seeing last year,” she said.
She said suicidal thoughts and depression are also driving many of the calls.
She also described what is driving many of those mental health concerns. “Financial stress is something that we are seeing a lot. People have lost a job. People are struggling to actually pay the bills,” she said. “They are experiencing changes, significant changes in their lives.”
De Los Rios said community‑wide events have also influenced call volume. “During the metro surge, our call volume increased,” she said. “There was a lot of distress in the community, regardless where you were standing on the issue.”
She said people of all ages are reaching out. “We get 12- to 18-year-olds reaching out to our line; we get older adults,” she said.
De Los Rios said some callers reach out for their loved ones. “People call us because they are concerned about someone else,” she said. “They want to know how to support them.”
MDH data from February through December 2025 shows:
- People in their 30s: 10,915 contacts
- Youth ages 1 to 17: more than 10,500 contacts
She said callers are connected to a crisis counselor. “They immediately get connected to a local center,” she said. “They don’t have to share their names. It is completely anonymous.”
Counselors begin with conversation to understand what the caller is experiencing. “We tell people that we are 988 and that we are the crisis lifeline. And what can we do to support you at that moment?” she said.
Text and chat options have expanded access, especially for younger people. “Young people are going to go to text,” she said. “There is a human answering on the other side.”
When someone is at high risk, De Los Rios said the lifeline prioritizes the least invasive response. “Our first partner is the mobile crisis units,” she said. “If the caller agrees, they send someone, and they will be able to assess in person.”
She said 911 is used only when necessary. “If someone is not willing to have someone come and we determine it is a very high risk, we reach out to our partners in 911,” she said.
MDH reports 96% of productive contacts were resolved without transferring someone to mobile crisis teams, 911 or other services.
De Los Rios said her team includes 35 staff members, including managers, support staff and crisis counselors.
She said the lifeline occasionally hits moments when every specialist is already assisting someone and additional calls come in. “We have definitely reached capacity,” she said. “MDH has a backup center that takes the overflow. If that backup center reaches capacity, there is the national backup center.”
We asked De Los Rios and MDH whether there is enough staffing to keep up with the rising demand for help. De Los Rios said her team is keeping up but constantly adjusting to stay ahead of the volume.
“We are,” she said. “We are obviously constantly monitoring trends, call volumes. Where do we need more people, on what days and what shifts? And we continue hiring.”
MDH said statewide performance data shows centers are meeting demand. “Our answer rate has consistently been above 90% across all three modalities — call, chat, and text — which suggests the centers’ capacity is meeting the demand,” the agency said.
County‑level MDH data shows:
- Hennepin County: 46,473 contacts
- Ramsey County: 11,427 contacts
- St. Louis County: 7,611 contacts
De Los Rios said reaching out to 988 is often the first step toward long‑term support. “It is really hard, and they are making the first step to invest in their mental health,” she said.
She said follow‑ups show the lifeline’s impact. “Thanks to the first conversation, they had been able to make a therapist appointment for the first time,” she said.
She said 988 is helping reduce stigma around mental health. “People are more willing to talk about mental health issues, about suicide prevention,” she said. “We need to be normalizing the conversations about mental health struggles.”
Her message to Minnesotans: “You are not alone. We are just a call away. There is nothing that we will not be able to hear, and we will be able to provide the safest space for you to talk and to look for alternatives.”
Here is a list of suicide prevention and mental health resources:
If you believe someone is at risk of suicide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests you:
- Ask questions about whether the individual is having suicidal thoughts.
- Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
- Seek help from a medical or mental health professional. If it is an emergency situation, take the person to a hospital.
- Remove any objects from a person’s home that could be potentially used in a suicide.
- Do not leave the person alone, if possible, until help is available.