The Push to Place 988 Information on Student ID Cards: A Conversation With the Director of Policy at Active Minds

CLINICAL CONVERSATIONS

Active Minds, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing youth and young adults to redefine ideas about mental health, recently shared that new report language will be used to advance youth access to crisis support, specifically the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Now, for the very first time, there is now a push to place information about 988 on student ID cards.¹ In the wake of this news, Psychiatric Times sat down with Anika Rahman, the director of policy at Active Minds, to learn more.

Psychiatric Times: You recently shared news that, for the very first time, there is now a push to place information about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards. Can you share some information about the process of advocating for this change?

Anika Rahman: For more than 2 decades, Active Minds has worked to equip young people with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to speak openly about mental health and seek help for themselves and their peers. As part of that commitment, we have long championed including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards and are proud to see that approach advanced in this legislation. The idea to publish the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards originated with the Active Minds chapter at the University of Dayton in 2012, and this moment represents the full cycle for us of student advocacy, from ideation on campus to passage into federal law.

PT: If implemented, what impact do you think it would have on youth suicide? Do you think there is a lack of awareness about 988 currently?

Rahman: We really believe that by putting 988 directly in students’ hands will remove barriers to support and ensure help is always within reach, advancing our mission to make mental health resources accessible. We are grateful to see appropriations move forward with a practical, bipartisan, and student-centered solution to the youth mental health crisis. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34, underlining the critical need for accessible crisis support. Since its launch, the 988 Lifeline has taken over 10 million calls, texts, and chats, demonstrating that people do use it when they know about it.² A memorable, simple number makes it much more likely that someone in immediate distress will remember and use the resource.

PT: You are actively recruiting youth aged 14 to 24 who are interested in shaping federal mental health policy. Talk to us about getting youth involved in advocacy. What are the challenges? How does involvement impact these teens and young adults?

Rahman: While Active Minds serves youth and young adults ages 14 to 25, for our upcoming Capitol Hill Advocacy Day in July we are focusing specifically on engaging young adults aged 18 to 24. Because travel to Washington, DC requires minors to have chaperones, this allows us to ensure safe, accessible, and manageable participation while still elevating youth voice at the federal level.

Active Minds is intentionally growing and mobilizing youth and young adults with desire to get involved in the policy, advocacy, and law-making process. As part of our 2026 Conference, this summer, we are incorporating a Capitol Hill Advocacy Day. This Hill/Advocacy Day will engage our student base directly in the policymaking process, strengthen youth and young adult presence on the Hill, and advance federal policies that support the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Suicide Prevention Program.

In addition to Hill Day coming up this summer, we recently launched our Policy & Advocacy Champions Group for youth and young adults to meet monthly. This group is a space to turn ideas into action, build policy knowledge, support one another, and grow as leaders. Whether they are already deeply interested in policy or just beginning to explore advocacy, the Champions Group provides a collaborative environment to learn, connect, and develop confidence in using their voices to create change in their community, schools, or state.

Active Minds believes that young people should be the narrators of their own stories. We value youth and young adults as key stakeholders in shaping the policies that directly impact their lives. That means ensuring their lived experiences are not only heard, but centered. Our Hill Day will intentionally incorporate storytelling, equipping youth voices to share their personal mental health journeys and policy perspectives directly with lawmakers and staff. We know that data drives policy, but stories move people.

PT: The mission of Active Minds is to champion a new era of mental health. What steps need to occur for that new era to begin? Are we making progress? What can psychiatrists and mental health clinicians do to help?

Rahman: It is well understood that the mental health of youth and young adults has been declining for years. The COVID-19 pandemic both exacerbated these alarming trends and brought them to the national forefront as an urgent concern. Yet, despite the increasing mental health needs of youth and young adults, young people are still not accessing the help they need. Over the past 20 years, Active Minds has centered its work around data that shows youth are the most impactful catalysts for change among their peers and communities. The organization is placing heightened emphasis on that fact and on its unique strength in reaching young adults, as we focus on mobilizing youth and young adult leaders to create a movement that forever changes how mental health is valued and prioritized in society.

Psychiatrists and clinicians can help by sharing Active Minds’ programs with youth and young adults who are interested in getting involved. We offer many programs including:

Active Minds Chapters (which are youth-led mental health student organizations on high schools and colleges), our Mental Health Advocacy Academy and Institute (which train high school and college students on how to create mental health change in their schools and communities), the Emerging Scholars Fellowship (a paid mentorship program for young mental health researchers), our Speakers Bureau, and our traveling exhibit Send Silence Packing.

PT: What is something you have learned in working with Active Minds that you think might surprise psychiatrists and mental health clinicians?

Rahman: If I am being honest, it is heartbreaking that children as young as 10 have attempted suicide, and that youth between 11 and 15 have lost their lives to it. Yet within this same age group are survivors who have become some of our most powerful voices—shaping the conversation around mental health and inspiring action at every level. At the same time, teens ages 14 to 18 are showing extraordinary leadership, founding their own nonprofits and using their voices to champion a new era of mental health.

PT: Anything else you would like to share?

Rahman: As the director of policy at Active Minds, I am continually in awe of the youth and young adults whom I have the privilege to work alongside. These are the same young adults who are part of our advocacy efforts and Policy & Advocacy Champions group, and they are inspiring not only their peers but all of us working in this space.

Across the country, I work with youth who are leading change in their communities, advocating for shifts in school policies, launching their own nonprofits, cofounding initiatives, and building movements that are creating real impact. Witnessing their bravery, vulnerability, and creativity is one of the most meaningful parts of my role. It is both inspiring and humbling to support a generation that is not only passionate about mental health but actively transforming the landscape of policy, culture, and care.

PT: Thank you!

Ms Rahman is the director of policy at Active Minds.

References

1. Kuntz L. A new era of mental health: increasing youth access to the 988 lifeline and campus suicide prevention. Psychiatric Times. February 4, 2026. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/a-new-era-of-mental-health-increasing-youth-access-to-the-988-lifeline-and-campus-suicide-prevention

2. 988 Lifeline performance metrics. SAMHSA. Accessed February 16, 2026. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/performance-metrics