988 and the Crisis Continuum of Care

The 988 emergency line, a three-digit emergency calling code for mental health emergencies, was launched across the United States on July 16, 2022. Available by call, text, and online Web-based chat, 988 is available free of charge to individuals in crisis in all 50 states, five U.S. territories, and Tribal areas. The 988 emergency line is envisioned as the gateway to a continuum of services designed to support individuals experiencing psychiatric crises; it includes an easy-to-remember phone line staffed by trained crisis counselors, mobile crisis response teams, and crisis stabilization facilities, with a collective goal of stabilizing psychiatric crises and linking individuals to ongoing care and resources. This continuum of care, also referred to as “Someone to call, someone to come, and somewhere to go,” provides a distinct alternative to the use of armed law enforcement or general medical settings ill equipped to stabilize psychiatric emergencies.

This Editor’s Choice collection reflects on the historic first year of 988 and on the diversity of perspectives on its implementation. In addition to a focus on new opportunities for crisis services, the articles are organized by phases of the crisis continuum of care. Readers interested in learning more about crisis services that predate the launch of 988 may also be interested in the October 2019 collection on Community-Based Mental Health Crisis Services.