By Ashley Perham, Charleston Gazette-Mail
Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide and mental health crises. If you need mental health support, call or text 988 or visit WV988.org.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Sharayah Jeffries wants people to call 988, the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, before they’re having suicidal thoughts, if possible.
“We want to be able to help in case they ever get to those thoughts,” she said. “We can help them, give them resources and set up plans to help take care of themselves in those moments.”
Jeffries works for First Choice Services, the Charleston nonprofit that answers 988 calls, texts and online chats at WV988.org in West Virginia. She is the organization’s assistant director of the national backup line, which answers texts and online chats from other states when their call centers can’t get to them.
Call data
Nationwide, there were more than 6.4 million calls, texts and chats to 988 in 2024. As of July 31, that number was on track to increase this year.
In September, there were 1,100 chats and texts and 1,900 calls in West Virginia alone. This is 21% more calls than last September, and texts and online chats had increased almost 50%, according to First Choice Services CEO Lata Menon.
“It’s hard to track what exactly causes these [increases], because anything can be considered a traumatic event to anybody and just the escalation of everything going on in the world plus personal lives combining,” Jeffries said.