ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in crisis can once again connect with specialized support through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s “Press 3” option, which returned yesterday after being abruptly eliminated last year. This restoration marks an important step to supporting the mental health of LGBTQ+ populations, and it comes following sustained advocacy from NAMI, the broader mental health community, and congressional champions.

“The restoration of 988’s Press 3 option is a victory for LGBTQ+ youth and a direct result of tireless advocacy,” said NAMI Chief Advocacy Officer Hannah Wesolowski. “LGBTQ+ youth face disproportionately high rates of mental health crises and having immediate access to specialized counselors who can understand what they face and are trained to help them can quite literally mean the difference between life and death. Bringing back this service restores a critical safety net that should have never been taken away in the first place. NAMI will continue to use our voice to ensure that LGBTQ+ youth get the care they need and deserve.”

NAMI and the mental health community have been fighting tirelessly to restore these services. NAMI advocates alone sent over 15,000 letters to Capitol Hill, urging Congress to step in and get the agency to restore the Press 3 option. NAMI, the Trevor Project, and leading mental health organizations have urged congressional leaders to re-establish and adequately fund the Press 3 option and continue to advocate to get Press 3 codified in law moving forward. Thanks to the support of congressional champions, administration officials testified under oath earlier this summer that the Press 3 option would be restored by the end of September.

NAMI will continue working to protect this service and care for the LGBTQ+ community to ensure LGBTQ+ youth in crisis get the right care at the right time.

For more information about the elimination of Press 3, see NAMI’s statement from June 2025.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

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SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)