The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has seen a substantial increase in overall volume after launching its new number, 988, in July. The agency said in a statement this week that calls, texts and chats to the number have increased 45% — or about 152,000 more contacts — compared to August 2021. It also reported a significant reduction in response times, plunging from 2.5 minutes to 42 seconds. Although they're glad with the progress, experts say there's more work that needs to be done to catch up with the nation's growing mental health crisis. Read more at the link in our bio.