Texters can reach out about absolutely anything, including suicidal thoughts. Crisis counselors are trained to de-escalate the situation and help people identify local resources.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of CTL by examining how texters perceive the quality of their conversations and their CCs’ genuine concern for them. The study also aims to examine the relationship between these outcomes and texters’ personal characteristics and their perceived engagement with their CCs.
How to Use
When you text BRAVE to the Crisis Text Line or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, you will be connected with a trained counselor who can listen without judgment and help you figure out what you need. You can also reach out through Facebook Messenger. Both services are free and confidential, and your conversations with the counselors are encrypted and anonymized.
Crisis counselors use active listening, collaborative problem solving, and safety planning to support the needs of the people they talk to. They work with the people who text them to de-escalate their situation, and when appropriate, alert emergency services or other public safety agencies in a person’s community.
Our research found that nearly half of suicidal texters had decreased feelings of hopelessness and suicidal ideation after their conversation with a volunteer Crisis Counselor. This reduction in suicide risk is comparable to the declines reported after psychotherapy. This research has important implications for reducing the number of people who die by suicide.
Teens
Teens can get free, anonymous support by texting “Got5” to 741741. They’ll be connected with a trained Crisis Counselor who will help them work through their situation, and offer empathy, advice or resources. The teens who use Crisis Text Line often say they feel isolated or alone, and having someone to talk to can make a difference.
They can ask about academic stress, clique problems at school or depression and suicidal thoughts. The counselors are there to listen, but they also can refer the teenager to a local therapist or other service.
A lot of the time, the counselors will tell the teen to hang on while they find some kind of help. They’ll text them back with a link to information that can help. It might be a hotline number, or a list of local mental health services. They might also send a link to an app that can help them calm down or connect with their family.
Parents
Getting help for a mental health crisis can be difficult for teens. One tool that is becoming more popular is Crisis Text Line, a free, text-based crisis-intervention service that launched in August 2013.
Teens can reach a counselor by texting TALK to 741-741 from anywhere in the United States. They can talk about anything they are struggling with, such as a failed exam or a breakup. The volunteer counselors will help them move from what the organization calls a “hot moment” to a cool calm through active listening. They may also give them resources or tell them where to go for more help.
But some parents are concerned that schools are promoting the service without proper safeguards, such as requiring a parental consent form or requiring that students check with their parent before chatting with a specialist about things like sexual orientation or gender identity. A Colorado mom who helps run a group called the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network says she was shocked when she posed as her 9-year-old daughter to test out the service and received promises that her information would remain private.
Adults
In this time of economic uncertainty, many individuals are struggling with financial stress. Individuals in the United States who need support can text “HOME” to 741741, which connects them with a trained Crisis Counselor for free, 24/7.
The research team obtained anonymized and de-identified CC reports and voluntary texter surveys from CTL’s database of conversations that had 10 or more messages initiated by the texters during a 12-month period (excluding those who require active rescue by emergency services). The study objectives were:
Volunteers have reported that Crisis Text Line has changed their lives, relationships, and communities. We have found that nearly half of suicidal texters report feeling less suicidal at the end of a crisis chat conversation, which is clinically meaningful and comparable to improvements seen in psychotherapy. This finding provides evidence of the potential for this service to be a vital part of a comprehensive mental health system, especially as 988 becomes the nationwide three-digit number for suicide prevention and crisis response in the U.S.