Technology is a double edged sword. Just as it has added additional concern to our lives, it has also provided an outlet for compassion, care and human kindness. Refuge has been found in the form of text messaging, with suicide prevention organizations utilizing text message based intervention to give help to disturbed, suffering teens.
Text messaging is the most commonly used form of social interaction, especially among teens and young-adults. By utilizing this as a lifeline, counselors are extending their insight and guidance to our troubled youth, in a way that they will actually receive the help.
This comes as a further extension of the already extensive suicide support and counselling provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and is a much needed addition.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline uses text messaging as an outlet to provide help throughout 160 crisis centers, nationwide in the US. Research conducted by this institution revealed that roughly forty percent of those reaching out for help did not feel comfortable communicating their feelings over the phone.
A telephone conversation, in clear voice, allows for a far greater degree of emotion to be conveyed, leaving most to prefer the informality of a text message or online conversation. Counselors are afforded a far greater degree of insight into the lives of troubled youth, due to troubled teens being comfortable enough to articulate their feelings via a text.
The text message help line that is currently offered is attended to by people that are familiar texters, utilizing the manner of texting that is commonly found among teens. By using the informality of text messaging, troubled youth are offered an opportunity to share their issues and worries with trained volunteers who will do all that is in their power to ease the suffering of their correspondent.
Samaritan Lifeline, Call – 877-870-4673
The current text message support service, named Samaritan, is available from 3PM to 11PM, which is the period of the day following school, the time that teens have to themselves. The telephone number for this outreach program can be found throughout the U.S., pasted to areas nearby to common suicide hot-spots among other areas.
Online based suicide lifelines provided by the US National Suicide Prevention group account for roughly forty percent of the support offered by this institution. Hopes are high that our young ones in need of support will turn to their familiar text messaging services to look for help.
Suicide is currently, in 2015, the 2nd leading cause of death for persons aged 10 to 24 in the United States. 2015’s report from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention shows that out of the 40,000 Americans that die by suicide each year, 90{76ac33845123b25982ffda0eb6f606179ce899e677f3c86d035d7b9fa6b6d307} of them were found to have had a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at their time of death.
With statistics revealing such shocking information, showing that suicide victims need nothing other than the attention, care and support of others, it is clear that we need for endeavors such as the Samaritan program. After all, if a text message can save a life, does this world not need more simple loving acts?
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