Today’s mental health crisis far outpaces traditional solutions. Depression and suicidal ideation have been consistently increasing, especially among young people (ages 10-24), and a shortage of mental health professionals means that many people — particularly people from communities impacted by systemic inequities — aren’t able to find help; 25% of our texters say they didn’t have anyone else in their lives to talk to, and only 19% say they have access to professional mental health resources. We support people going through any type of mental health challenges, from struggles with homework, bullying, or relationships, to abuse, self harm, and suicidal ideation. Our text-based mental health support service helps people feel less depressed, less overwhelmed and less isolated.

Through a tumultuous decade and millions of conversations, our volunteers were there to listen and help texters find their strength to cope. Our volunteers are true heroes, donating a collective 340 years of time over the last decade to help save and change lives by offering empathy, guidance, and hope. Their work as volunteer Crisis Counselors also had a profound impact on their own lives, their families and communities. Thanks to their training and service with Crisis Text Line, they took better care of their own mental health; they learned valuable skills; and they felt less alone and better connected to their communities. Their problem-solving and active listening skills transferred to their personal and professional relationships, too.

We’ve seen that one conversation can save a life, and what we’ve learned from 9 million conversations can have a significant impact on society and the global mental health crisis. In partnership with our research collaborators, we’ve learned from our conversation data that the pandemic affected not only the mental health of frontline workers, but also that of their children, who had a higher risk of experiencing bereavement, substance use, and other crises. We’ve learned that the psychological effect of hurricanes is enduring; that the effect of mass shootings extends far beyond affected communities; and that heat waves lead young people in urban areas with little park space to reach out to us more.

We will always be here for our texters in crisis, and and we will also work to leverage our expertise and insights to improve mental health so that fewer people reach the point of needing crisis support.

– strangers supporting strangers in their time of need. Since then, we have used technology to unlock human connection at unprecedented scale. Technology alone cannot solve our mental health crisis; human-to-human connection is critical, and it works. It lifts people up, makes them feel less overwhelmed, and more hopeful. Our goal for the next decade is to continue to make mental health support even more accessible to everyone on a national and global level. We are bringing light to people in their darkest moments, one text conversation at a time.

The mental health crisis affects people all over the world. Mental illness, loneliness, and despair do not discriminate, so we want to make crisis support and mental health services as widely accessible as possible. Since 2018, we have teamed up with Shout in the UK, Kids Help Phone in Canada and SpunOut in Ireland – helping them with the technology needed to provide text-based crisis support. Our partnerships have enabled the support of an additional 3 million conversations and 23,000 trained volunteers internationally.