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Affiliation
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Icahn School of Medicine, New York; Veterans Integrated Service Network 2, Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center, Bronx, New York. |
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Abstract
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Crisis text lines, originating in 2013, are gaining momentum as a suicide prevention crisis service. One of the first national texting hotlines, Crisis Text Line, reports exchange of 125 million text messages since its inception (www.crisistrends.org). Despite increasing use of text lines, empirical data are minimal pertaining to who uses these services and their effectiveness in minimizing suicidal symptoms.
Szlyk et al.’s (1) article on chat line suicide crisis services enhances understanding about suicidal texters, who are grouped by chat frequency and type of distress. Findings point to the not surprising similarity in content across messages, even among texters with different texting frequencies. The fact that almost 40% of the texters sent messages with high frequency (three or more times) highlights the magnitude of multiple texting episodes and likelihood that users, particularly repeat users, find the service helpful.
Chat services are a more recent addition to the armamentarium of suicide prevention services. Although research into chat line services is in its infancy, studies have found that individuals who use these services are generally younger than callers to crisis phone lines and may follow U.S. youths’ preference to communicate via texting. The increased anonymity of the chat line also may favor participation by those who feel ashamed or stigmatized regarding their mental health and suicidal concerns.
We do not yet know whether crisis texting services are as effective as crisis phone lines, but initial studies found no differences, which makes sense. Both modes mitigate loneliness; staff for each are available and warm, willing to listen, problem solve, provide resources, and promote reconnection to care. Moreover, both modes are convenient and free to use. Chat lines can be translated into over 150 languages and thus may be more usable by an international audience than calls. Data regarding individual differences between crisis texters and callers are not readily available. Unfortunately, Szlyk and colleagues’ report sheds little light on this issue; demographic data for their study were mostly uncollected because of the anonymous nature of the interactions. Future research may be able to better define who is using these services ...
Language: en |