Boards
We all know what a crisis hotline is – it’s a number that you can call if you need professional help and don’t know where else to go. Usually people call crisis hotlines when they’re feeling depressed or when they’re dealing with substance abuse issues, rape, abuse or other awful things like that. These numbers can be really useful and can really give people help when it’s needed.
But there’s one big problem: since text messaging and social media took over our worlds, actual phone calls have sort of fallen over to the side. Think about it – when was the last time you called someone rather than texted? Or Facebook messaged? Or tweeted? Phone calls just aren’t as popular as they used to be, and crisis hotlines have actually seen a pretty big decline in use. The good news? DoSomething.org is trying to change that.
The CEO of DoSomething.org, Nancy Lublin, is trying to establish a text number for teens to text in their problems instead of calling. She came up with the idea because the organization gets so many text messages from teens asking for help – the problem is, it’s not a hotline, so they haven’t been able to really reach out.
Nancy will launch the Crisis Text Line in August (New York based) so that teens have a specific number they can text (rather than call) when they feel like they need help. Once a text comes in, the person who texted will be directed towards other partner organizations that will be able to help. So if they’re texting about bullying issues due to being gay, bisexual or lesbian, they’ll be directed to The Trevor Project – or if they’re calling about eating disorders, they’ll be directed to an organization that helps with that specific issues.
How is this revolutionary? Well, while there are some other text message hotlines out there, there aren’t a ton. Also, text messages seems to be the way to go these days. As one researcher points out, “Phone calls are not the way young people express themselves.”
Text messages just seem to make sense. Not only is this the way a lot of us communicate, but it’s also just more convenient. When you want to talk about a private issue, would you rather text it or talk about it out loud where someone could hear you? Texting in your problem ensures that no one will overhear you discussing it and makes things quicker and easier. Other organizations who have started relying on text message hotlines have found much more success.
I think this is a really cool idea. I love that organizations like this are making it so easy for people to find someone to help them. Sometimes when we’re really depressed or dealing with something really heavy, we don’t know who to turn to. The Crisis Text Line would make it so much easier for us all to get in touch with professionals who can give us the help we need. And who doesn’t want that?
Would you ever use a crisis hotline? Would you rather text or make a phone call, for this and in general? Tell us in the comments.
What do you do if you think a friend has an eating disorder?
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter
