Anxiety, financial stress drive record use of Minnesota’s 988 mental health lifeline

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 a...