What Happens When You Call, Text or Chat 988 in New York City
Short answer
When you call, text or chat 988 from New York City, a trained counselor or peer support specialist at NYC 988 answers, asks whether you are safe, listens, and helps you plan next steps. It is free, confidential and open 24/7. Most contacts are handled without 911. Counselors bring in emergency services when there is an imminent risk to life that cannot be reduced during the conversation.
In crisis or thinking about suicide? Call or text 988 now (in New York City it reaches NYC 988). If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
This guide is not enough if
- Someone is in immediate danger, hurt, or has taken an overdose: call 911 now.
- You are looking for ongoing therapy or medication care. 988 can refer you, but it is not treatment.
- You want records of a past 988 call. 988 says it cannot provide them because the service is confidential.
- You are a veteran or service member: call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.
Before you reach out: 988 or 911
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. For everything short of that, you can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. The 988 Lifeline says people do not have to be suicidal to call. Reasons include substance use, money worries, relationships, illness, loneliness and depression.
You can also reach out about someone else. SAMHSA says people can call, text or chat 988 if they are worried about a loved one. If you are unsure whether a situation is an emergency, a counselor can help you decide. The guide to crisis options in New York City compares 988 with 911, Mobile Crisis Teams and hospitals.
Step by step: call, text or chat
Here is what the 988 Lifeline and SAMHSA say to expect. Using 988 is free, and you do not have to give payment or insurance information.
- Calling. A recorded greeting offers options: press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, press 2 for Spanish, or press 3 for LGBTQ+ youth. If you choose nothing, you are connected to a local 988 center. You hear hold music until a counselor answers.
- The first question. The counselor says hello, introduces themselves and asks whether you are safe. Then they listen, try to understand how the problem is affecting you, offer support and share resources.
- Texting. Send any message to 988. Text AYUDA for Spanish or PRIDE for LGBTQ+ youth support. Replying NEXT accepts the terms of service, and a short survey helps the counselor understand what you need. Standard text and data rates may apply.
- Chatting. At 988lifeline.org, a few short questions open first. When you click to start, you see a message while you are connected to a live counselor.
- Waiting. SAMHSA says the wait after the greeting is typically under a minute, though it can be longer. If a local center cannot answer, the call goes to a national backup center.
| If you need | What to do | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| To talk with someone now | Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org | Free, confidential, 24/7 |
| Someone with lived experience | Ask for "peer support" once connected | NYC 988 offers peer support as a core service |
| Spanish | Press 2, text AYUDA, or start a chat in Spanish | Spanish is offered by call, text and chat |
| Another language | Call and stay on the line for an interpreter | NYC 988 says interpreters cover 200+ languages |
| TTY or relay | Use your relay service, or dial 711 then 988 | 988 also offers an ASL videophone |
| Someone to come to you | Ask the counselor about a Mobile Crisis Team | Teams work 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days |
| Help for immediate danger | Call 911 | 988 counselors may also contact 911 |
Who answers in New York City
In New York City, 988 is answered by NYC 988, which the NYC Health Department oversees and Vibrant Emotional Health operates. NYC 988 says it focuses on the 212, 718, 646, 917, 347 and 929 area codes; if your phone has another area code, you can ask to be transferred. SAMHSA says the major wireless carriers now route 988 calls by general location rather than area code.
You may reach a crisis counselor or a peer support specialist, someone trained to draw on their own experience of mental health challenges. The Health Department's 2023 campaign told callers who want a certified peer specialist to ask for "peer support" once connected; the guide on peer support explains more. NYC 988 also lists referrals and warm transfers to other services, and follow-up to check that you connected to care.
In 2025 testimony to the City Council, the Health Department said NYC 988 can dispatch a Mobile Crisis Team to visit a person wherever they live, within a few hours, 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, citywide.
Languages, relay and access
You do not need to speak English to use 988. Press 2 on a call, text AYUDA, or start a chat in Spanish. For other languages, stay on the line: NYC 988 says a counselor can connect you to an interpreter in more than 200 languages, and SAMHSA says interpretation through the national network costs you nothing.
If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, use your preferred relay service or dial 711 and then 988, or use the 988 videophone for American Sign Language. NYC 988 says its counselors are trained to take video relay calls. The Health Department also told the City Council that callers are never asked about their immigration status.
Privacy, and when emergency services may be called
NYC 988 says what you share is treated as confidential and is not shared outside the 988 Lifeline without your consent, except when there is imminent risk of harm to you or someone else, or when the law requires it. It also notes that confidential is not the same as anonymous. The counselor can see the phone number or IP address you used, but SAMHSA says 988 does not know your precise location.
The 988 Suicide Safety Policy, adopted in 2022 to replace the older imminent risk policy, asks counselors to work with you on the least invasive step that keeps you safe. Sending emergency services without a person's consent is a last resort, used only when someone at imminent risk is unwilling or unable to take steps toward their own safety, or an attempt is already in progress. In those rare cases, SAMHSA says 911 may be asked to look up a precise location through the phone or internet company.
SAMHSA says only a small percentage of 988 contacts need 911, and many of those happen with the caller's agreement. Most people's needs are met during the call, text or chat.
Calling about someone else
If you call about another person, the counselor will usually try to find ways to reach that person directly; the Suicide Safety Policy asks centers to make that effort. In New York City you can also ask for a Mobile Crisis Team for a family member, friend or acquaintance.
NYC 988's tips for helping someone include talking openly about suicide, listening without judging, not agreeing to keep it a secret, and removing means such as guns or stockpiled pills. Helping the person write a safety plan with trusted people and professionals is another step. If the person is in immediate danger, call 911.
A short history, and when 988 is not the right step
Before 988, New York City's crisis line was NYC Well. The Health Department says NYC Well officially transitioned to 988 in 2023, and the city kept the old NYC Well number for one year to ease the change. If an old card, magnet or website lists NYC Well, use 988 instead. The telephone hotlines page lists other lines for specific needs.
988 is for support in the moment and for connection to care. It is not a place for ongoing therapy or medicine decisions. If you want regular care, Mind Body Seven offers outpatient psychiatry and therapy in Brooklyn and by telehealth across New York State, and you can contact the practice. The practice cannot respond to emergencies.
Frequently asked questions
Will 988 send the police to my home?
Usually not. SAMHSA says most crises are resolved during the call, text or chat without police. Under the 988 Suicide Safety Policy, counselors contact emergency services without consent only as a last resort, when someone at imminent risk cannot or will not take steps to stay safe, or an attempt is in progress. In New York City, counselors can also send a Mobile Crisis Team instead.
Can 988 see where I am?
SAMHSA says the counselor sees the phone number you call from, or your IP address if you chat, but not your precise location. Calls are routed to a nearby center by general area. In rare cases of immediate risk to life, a counselor may ask 911 to request a precise location from the phone or internet company.
Is 988 the same as NYC Well?
NYC Well was New York City's crisis line before 988. The NYC Health Department says NYC Well officially transitioned to 988 in 2023, and New Yorkers now reach NYC 988 by calling, texting or chatting 988. The city kept the old NYC Well number for one year during the change, so if you see it on an old card, use 988 instead.
Can I text 988 instead of calling?
Yes. The 988 Lifeline says text service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish (text AYUDA for Spanish). You answer a few short questions and then connect with a counselor. Standard message and data rates may apply. If texting is slow when demand is high, 988 suggests calling or using chat.
Does 988 follow up after I reach out?
NYC 988 lists follow-up among its services, to check that you have connected to care and that it is working for you. You do not have to give personal information to get help. If you want to share feedback about a call, text or chat, the 988 Lifeline has a contact form on its website.
Next: compare your options
911, NYC 988, Mobile Crisis Teams, psychiatric ERs, CPEPs and crisis residences: what each does and when it fits.
Sources
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: What to Expect
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Get Help
- SAMHSA: 988 Frequently Asked Questions
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Suicide Safety Policy (2022)
- NYC 988: Home
- NYC 988: FAQ
- NYC Health Department: Testimony on NYC 988 before the City Council, 26 September 2025
- NYC Health Department: Health Department Launches 988 Campaign (10 October 2023)
Recent changes
- July 17, 2025: SAMHSA ended the separate LGBTQ+ youth option ("Press 3") on 17 July 2025. As of 8 November 2026, the 988 Lifeline's What to Expect page lists Press 3 again and says the service has been restored. SAMHSA: Statement on 988 Press 3 Option (17 June 2025)
Reviewed by Dr. Beata Lewis, MD, Founder and Clinical Director, board-certified in adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and integrative medicine on November 8, 2026. Facts checked against the sources above on November 8, 2026. This guide is general education, not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and reading it does not make you a patient of Mind Body Seven. For advice about your situation, talk with a licensed clinician.