This week, we looked at the three “waves” of feelings we’ve noted in our data (anxiety, isolation, and grief)… and something inspiring from the kids under age 13.

I hope this note finds you feeling strong.

Our overall volume has plateaued, reaching what we call a “new normal,” ~20% higher than pre-COVID. But our capacity has grown nearly 2x because our Crisis Counselors are showing up and new ones have been added! And we’re seeing record KPIs: quality ratings of 90% and 97% of texters helped in under 5 minutes. We got you, America.

So, send us your employees, family, friends, followers. Help promote the service. We can handle more volume. We’re ready!

Wave 1: Anxiety

Anxiety about the coronavirus outbreak has plateaued, but remains high, at ~85% of texters. Anxiety is around 10 points higher than it was at the start of nationwide quarantines in mid-March.

Wave 2: Crises Associated with Quarantines

Conversations mentioning domestic violence, sexual abuse, and substance use continue to increase.

Wave 3: Job Loss, Grief, Racism

(a) Job Loss

• Two weeks ago, 27% of conversations mentioned a word associated with job loss (job, lost, income); in the last week: 29%. And now, 32%.

• The same as last week, 62% of texters say they or someone in their household has either been laid off or lost a job as a result of coronavirus.

• Fear of job loss is pervasive.

  • Two weeks ago, 73% of texters said they worry to some degree about someone in their household losing a job. This week, it’s 76%.

  • Two weeks ago, 76% of texters said they worry to some degree about themselves or their household being able to pay bills on time. This week, 80%.

(b) Grief

The percentage of texters mentioning they’ve experienced the recent loss of a loved one continues to increase, from 9% in mid-April to 14% now (up two points from last week).

(c) Racism / Discrimination

The percentage of texters mentioning they’ve recently experienced racism and/or discrimination continues to increase, from 6.5% in mid-April to 10% now, and up from 9% last week.

• This continues to disproportionately affect texters who identify as Asian American, with nearly 1 in 3 (31%) mentioning they’ve recently experienced racism and/or discrimination.

And note on resilience: to cope, young people in crisis are helping loved ones.

A trend for our youngest texters, 13 and under: 42% mention “helping friends and family (e.g., picking up groceries, cleaning, watching other kids, etc)” as something they are doing to stay hopeful and resilient in the last week. That’s 4 points higher than the average for all texters (38%). One phrase trending for this group is “helping friends.”