[hopealwayz]

I have so much on my mind and I’m hurting. I’m thinking of texting the crisis line but I’ve never used that before and I’m nervous.

[Crook32]

It helped a little but overall I didn’t find it that useful but give it a try it can’t hurt. I also was having a rough time and texted 3 days in a row and was told I was over using their service and had to find someone else to talk to.

[hopealwayz]

The overall idea doesn’t seem like it would be helpful to me.

It’s bad that I began to struggle during my gaps in my therapy weeks due to transportation problems.

I really need my T to know what’s going on but I’m not sure how to say it. I can’t really describe in words what I’m feeling.

The office manager didn’t even put me on the cancellation list like she’s done in the past.

I need their help but they are not listening to my pain.

I'm so sorry, hope. Can your t maybe do phone sessions when you don't have transportation? I don't recall if that was an option or not. I did phone sessions for an extended period of time after my t moved out of state for awhile. They worked really well for me. Just a thought. Hugs

[nottrustin]

I used it a couple of times. It was within the first couple of months that T passed away. I was in a really bad place and felt nobody in my personal life understood. I just needed to talk to somebody who at least in some level understood especially late at night when things seemed the hardest.

I had a good experience. They were helpful in listening and being supportive. It helped me get through some hard nights where I wished I was no longer alive

[SlumberKitty]

I've never tried the text crises line but I've called a crises line a couple of times. One time I had a great experience, one time I had a horrible experience. I've also used the Samaritans a few times and the experience was okay. I hope you get through this time and can get to see your T soon. HUGS Kit

[Taylor27]

The ones in my area are very good. Hugs

[chihirochild]

I've used the online "Lifeline Chat" a ton of times. It's pretty formulaic (people tend to ask you the same kinds of questions and say the same kind of things) but sometimes it helps me feel a tiny bit better.

[doyoutrustme]

I liked it. It was a voice to hear me when I was alone with my pain.

[HD7970GHZ]

Good question,

I have relied a lot on distress lines for years. In short, there are some that are good, there are some that mediocre and there are some that simply should not exist.

Regardless, I encourage you to reach out for help anywhere you can, just prepare yourself for the potential ramifications that can ensue when you reach for support. There is a risk of being invalidated, emotionally abused, hung up on, gas-lighted, etc.

In my experience, distress lines have helped me stay alive for years when other resources (including therapy) simply did not help. The trick is in finding people who are actually willing to have REAL conversations rather than stick to protocol and policy. Sometimes there are a couple good staff on a distress line, but there are always, always, always bad ones. People who simply should not be on distress lines. It is a night and day difference and I recommend setting boundaries and simply hanging up the phone when the baddies pick up.

Unfortunately, distress lines need more oversight, better training and more accountability. Some of the poor effectiveness of distress lines is due to negligence, improper training, lack of accountability and last but not least: empathy and or compassion burnout. A lot of this is unfortunately a result of lack of funding (which is part of the reason why distress lines keep shutting down).

Do keep in mind that everything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. They do write notes. Be very careful what you share and with whom you share. And they can call the cops on you if you have admitted to being a danger to yourself, others and or children. (No different than therapy).

Build rapport and hope for the best. There is no shame in needing to call distress lines and there are AMAZING people on some lines; many of which not only understand mental health struggles on a professional level, but also a personal one. Call a bunch of different ones and find out which ones suit your needs. Distress lines have all kinds of mandates - some of which make it very difficult to be effective. Some are funded purely by statistics. Some record the calls without telling you. You will find good ones if you reach out but be prepared to sift through them all to find the gems.

I know a lot about this because I have made (a rough guess) 10,000 phone calls to distress lines in 4 years... Literally... I also plan to advocate for change on distress lines because believe me, there is a lot of abuse that takes place.

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

[NP_Complete]

Did you mean 10,000? Because that's like 6 or 7 calls per day.

[divine1966]

It’s 2500 a year, roughly 7 a day. Yes if you subtract sleep time, work time, time in a bathroom and other times when you physically cannot make a call, it’s literally calling or texting crisis line every hour. I think it’s maybe posssible.

But I personally would probably seek other type of help if I had to call or text crisis line hourly. Saying that, crisis line could be extremely helpful but it’s not designed as a continuous long term type of treatment. I might be wrong of course but I think it’s not a substitute for actual treatment, it’s just meant to be used in crisis.

Like between sessions and when your t isn’t available, Hopealways, you could give it a try. If it’s not working, you alwars have your next appt with your t. Maybe you can ask your t what he thinks of crisis lines?

[susannahsays]

Must have meant 10,000 since there was a comma. Not like that could be a typo of just an extra zero or two or something.

[ArtleyWilkins]

Well, she did say "'rough guess' . . . 'literally'" which means she probably didn't mean "literally" literally. (Pet peeve)

[divine1966]

Nothing wrong with calling/texting crisis line daily or even hourly if someone needs it. Just generally speaking quality of crisis line cannot be judged by how well it provides continuous daily or hourly assistance. It’s meant for crisis. I wouldn’t recommend relying on crisis line if one needs to use it almost hourly. I’d recommend relying on professional treatment for ongoing issue.

I think hopealways wanted something in time of crisis when she can’t see her t, not something to substitute professional help. I think she should definitely give it a try.

[SarahSweden]

I´ve tried several crisis lines and none has offered real support or a real discussion about my issues. Some examples of those I´ve tried are "NYC Well" and "YourDost", both free of charge. In total I´ve had more than a thousand crisis chats, both within Sweden where I live and within other countries.

I would say that all hotlines or crisis chats tend to worsen feelings of loneliness, of not being heard and understood as the counselors or support people most often aren´t suited for their task.

They follow a standard form of questions and even if I specifically ask them to stick to my issues, for example a sorrow I ´m going through, they act like chat bots and continue to ask stupid questions.

They are often condescending and treat you as a child or someone who´s below average in intelligence and they seem to think that the solution always is something like "talk a walk" or "join a club". Most of people answering to crisis chats or phone calls don´t know anything about emotional support or how to support a person who´s sad, down and so on.

To sum it up, they mostly worsen your already upset feelings and those chatting with you should never actually be near anything that resembles mental health care or counselling.

[downandlonely]

I don't think that crisis lines will necessarily make you feel worse. It depends on how well-trained and empathetic the counselor on the other end of the line is.