The Spanish Subnetwork: Crisis support for people who speak Spanish
People in crisis or supporting a loved one can contact the 988 Lifeline to reach a Spanish-speaking crisis counselor
You can get free, confidential crisis support from 988’s Spanish Subnetwork Line by calling 988 and pressing 2, texting “AYUDA” to 988, or chatting online.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is working to make everyone have someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place to be during a mental health crisis. The Spanish Subnetwork fulfills part of this goal by offering call, chat, and text support in Spanish.
“I’m glad to know this helpline exists,” said one caller.* “Not everyone is encouraged to speak up and express how they feel.”
Everyone deserves to get support in their language for thoughts of suicide, substance use concerns, or any type of mental health crisis or emotional distress.
But people have to know about the Spanish Subnetwork before they can use it. It’s not enough for the resource to exist. Communities have to know how to reach out and trust that it’s safe.
Increasing awareness and trust in the 988 Lifeline among Spanish-speaking communities is one major goal for Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. This California crisis center answers 988 calls, texts, and chats in English and Spanish, including some Spanish contacts from Washington.
“The more we can create and build trust in the line and maintain that trust, the more likely people in the community will seek out our services,” said Kim Rodriguez, Bilingual Training and Outreach Coordinator at Didi Hirsch.
How does the Spanish Subnetwork operate?
This 988 subnetwork includes contracted centers where trained crisis counselors answer calls, chats, and texts through the 988 Lifeline service. Currently, more than 170 Spanish-speaking crisis counselors work at 5 crisis centers across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico. Didi Hirsch is one of these centers.
At this time, Washington doesn’t have a crisis center that answers Spanish calls, texts, or chats. So, people in Washington who contact the Spanish Subnetwork will reach one of these 5 crisis centers.
The Spanish Subnetwork has taken phone calls since 2022. Text and chat services began in July 2023.
Since launch, contacts to the Spanish Subnetworks have increased by more than 60%, according to the operations team at Vibrant Emotional Health, the 988 Lifeline administrator.
In Washington, 1,240 calls were made to the Spanish Subnetwork in 2023. Between January and October 2024, the Spanish Subnetwork received 2,527 calls — nearly twice the number of total Washington calls made in 2023.
Simply switching from the 10-digit number to 988 has made a difference, Rodriguez said. The 3-digit number is easier to remember, which makes it more likely people will use it to reach out for help.
Contacting the Spanish Subnetwork Line
You can reach the Spanish Subnetwork by call, text, or chat:
- Dial 988 and press 2 to continue the call in Spanish.
- Text “AYUDA” to 988.
- Chat online at the 988 Lifeline Spanish website.
Any of these options will connect you to a Spanish-speaking crisis counselor who can offer direct support and local resources. This line is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
The 988 Lifeline also offers free interpretation services in more than 240 languages so everyone can get help when they need it.
You don’t need to pay a fee, have health insurance, or share personal information to get help in any language. You don’t need to be a U.S. citizen or share your immigration status to get help.
All 988 Lifeline services are always free and confidential.
“Sometimes folks call or text and say, ‘I don’t even know why I’m calling,’” says Alejandra Vargas, Assistant Program Director at Didi Hirsch. “But we want you to know that’s OK, and we can figure that out together. There’s no pressure to have a specific reason for reaching out if you feel in need of support.”
988 isn’t 911
988 and 911 provide different services.
911 provides help for emergencies where you need in-person support. 988 provides you with someone to talk to during a crisis or other emotional distress.
Support from 988 is more about talking through things that are hard or challenging or difficult, according to Vargas.
Crisis counselors always try to support people through a crisis without involving emergency services. They only contact 911 if there’s an immediate danger to someone’s life that they can’t resolve during the call, text, or chat.
“When we talk about 988 in the community, we emphasize that 988 is a peer-based service. We come from the same communities and experience life in similar ways. Everyone is affected by suicide, and what our callers bring up isn’t foreign to us,” Rodriguez said.
Why the Spanish Subnetwork Line matters
The 988 Lifeline is many people’s first experience with mental health support, Vargas said. They’re finding out what it’s like to be heard. A positive experience with the 988 Lifeline might help someone feel more willing to try other mental health resources, like therapy with a licensed mental health professional.
In short, 988 can lead to other help and support.
Many people who contacted the Spanish Subnetwork felt better after their conversation.*
- One person dealing with relationship challenges expressed gratitude for space and being listened to. He said he found Spanish 988 really helpful and that he felt more at ease when he could “let it all out.”
- One person shared feelings of guilt and loss after the death of a child, along with a fear of not being able to move on from grief. After the conversation, she said she felt a little better. “The truth is, it had been a long time since I expressed how I really felt without worrying about worrying others. Thank you for your help.”
- One person chatted about feelings of loneliness and depression and previous suicide attempts. At the end of the conversation, she said, “Yes, you are right, it’s okay to feel all emotions, regardless of how dark they can be, thank you for your honesty and trust. It’s beautiful to sympathize with someone at this level… I do not feel as alone as I thought…through a screen, you have given me motivation to live one more day.”
Raising awareness
For some people, simply knowing the Spanish Subnetwork Line exists makes a difference. Knowing you can get help in your language may help ease feelings of isolation and reduce stigma around getting mental health support.
According to a 2024 awareness survey conducted by the Department of Health, 36% of all Spanish speakers were familiar with 988. This number includes people who took the survey in English and in Spanish.
In 2023, only 21% of Spanish speakers who took the survey were familiar with the 988 number.
So, while awareness of the Spanish Subnetwork has increased, we still have a long way to go.
People experiencing mental health challenges or a crisis commonly turn to trusted people in their lives, like a partner, parent, sibling, close friend, or faith leader. They’re generally more likely to trust information about the 988 Lifeline from these trusted messengers.
“On our Spanish services, we get a lot of parents and friends talking about someone in their life,” Vargas said. “We are trusted messengers to them, and they need to know it’s OK to talk about 988 and reach out to others who might need the service. That’s why being involved in the community is so important. Families, neighbors, friends, co-workers — anyone might have that number available for someone in distress and let them know they can get help in Spanish.”
You can help raise awareness of the 988 Lifeline and the Spanish Subnetwork Line by telling your loved ones about these services.
Let them know they’ll get free, confidential support from crisis counselors trained to support people through a mental health crisis or emotional distress, including:
- Thoughts of suicide
- Substance use concerns
- Life challenges like grief, breakup, divorce, family concerns, job loss, or financial stress
You can also explain that 988 is different from 911. In most cases, crisis counselors provide support without any law enforcement involvement at all.
Learn more about the 988 Lifeline and the services it offers, in English and in Spanish:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- 988 | Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in Washington
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | Washington State Department of Health
- All quotes and stories come from people who received support from the Spanish Subnetwork and gave consent to share their information. The quotes have been deidentified to protect their anonymity.
