Help during crisis just a text away

Counseling service offers free platform in format meant to be comfortable for anxious young people

By: Gene Myers
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... While it's often said that not everyone is happy during the holidays, Crisis Text Line has the data to back it up.
..... The New York-based counseling service, whose free texting platform skews toward younger users, has conducted almost 7 million conversations, producing a mountain of data that it;s mined to try to pinpoint how and where to help people in need.
..... New Jersey has the dubious distinction of generating the most texts about anxiety of any U.S. state with only the territory of Puerto Rico ahead of it. Nationwide, complaints about stress and grief in the texting service have gone up during the pandemic, with the latest omicron surge adding to demand.
..... "There has been a huge increase in texters," said Mada Ligouri of Passaic County, one of thousands of volunteer counselors who answer queries to Crisis Text Line. The holidays and family reunions can be trying times. "Plus there is the surge in COVID cases. This holiday season has been very stressful on a lot of people."
..... The message the nonprofit wants to spread: You are not alone if you're felling down.
..... Started in 2013, Text Line offers help via text exchanges, Facebook and WhatsApp formats in which teens, Gen Z'ers and millennials often feel more comfortable. Anyone feeling stressed, anxious or depressed can text 741741 anytime and be connected with a trained volunteer, who can bring a mental health professional into the conversation if needed.
..... Liquori, 20, who;s studying for a social work degree, decided get involved during the pandemic because she wanted to help people and had time on her hands. She gets notifications on her phone when someone is looking to chat.
..... Counselors have field more than 6.6 million pleas for help since the service began, according to spokesperson Cordalia Sliansko.
..... U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy warned in a 53-page report released last month [12/2021] that the challenges young people face in the "unprecedented" times brought on by COVID are "uniquely hard to navigate."
..... The effect on mental health has been :devastating," said Murthy, who called for making more mental health resources available to young people.
..... The text line is an attempt too provide such a resource and to meet young Americans "where they are," said Crisis Text CEO Dena Trujillo.
..... Anyone can sue the service, regardless of age. But 75% of its users are younger than 25, with the majority between 14 and 17. Crisis Text also launched a Spanish language service this fall, [2021] available by texting "Hola" to 741741 or 442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp.
..... Texting allows for confidentiality and an ease of access at a crucial moment, Trujillo said. Students can ask for help privately during a lunch period or in a school bathroom or even while siting in a crowd, without anyone noticing.
..... "One time traffic goes up is lunchtime during the school season," she said. "People are sitting out at lunch and texting us. They can sit there while other people are around them texting. you could be texting for help during a holiday dinner and on one will know anything about it because people are sued to texts."

How Crisis Text Line works

..... The service can be accessed by texting a message as simple as "hello" to start a conversation. A counselor will typically reply within 5 minutes, though it sometimes takes longer during high-traffic periods, according to the Crisis Text website.
..... Counselors will ask questions and listen until both sides of the exchange feel comfortable. Volunteers are trained to assess conversations and help users k=move to a "cool, safe place," according to the website. Conversations typically last 15 to 45 minutes.
..... Counselors undergo background checks and 30 hours of Online training and are overseen by supervisors, who are clinical professionals, said Truijillo.
..... The service available for free in the U.S. Canada, the U.K. and Ireland. Texts are free for AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon, but standard messaging rates may apply for other carriers.
..... Over the last two months, [11-12/2021] depression and sadness have topped the list of concerns cited by texters, the CEO said, followed by relationships. The company stress, suicidal thoughts and loneliness. The company expects to see an increase in reports of grief as COVID cases rise again.
..... "Grief has gone up the last couple of years [2020-2021] with the existence of COVID. Over 800,000 people in the U.S. alone have died," said Trujillo, who noted there were "hundreds of thousands of families grieving during the holidays without their loved ones. Now with omicron and the resurgence of COVID in the news there are increased stress levels."
..... She knows this because the company mines its conversations for information. Text exchanges are anonymous. But the data is pooled so the company can learn from the interactions. Algorithms can identify a person who's more likely to hurt themselves within the first couple of texts, Trujillo said.
..... The data also helps Crisis Text Line decide when to have more counselors available. For instance, Tuesday is the day most people feel stress across the country and 10 PM is the time they;re most likely to reach out for help, the service says.
..... Nationwide, relationships are the most often reported source of concern by texters *37.7%) followed by depression and sadness (36.7%). Suicidal thoughts were cited in 20.1% of texts and 18.9% reported feeling isolated and lonely.
..... The good news is fewer that 1% of people who said they were thinking about taking their own life have required intervention, said Trujillo.
..... The group also has found regional mental health trends. People in Western states including Montana, Wyoming and Utah have sent more texts than average about suicide, while people in the south (Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi) text more about depression. Users on the coasts generate more texts about anxiety.
..... Breaking it down even more, top concerns for Passaic County residents who've used the service were relationships *36.6%), depression (36.6%) and anxiety (35.6%). the most popular day to text are Monday and Wednesday, according to the data.
..... Bergen county residents' top concerns are anxiety (38.7%) depression (36.4%) and relationships (35.1%). The start of the work and school week - Monday Tuesday and Wednesday - usually brings he highest volume of texts.

HOME