Research finding · May 2023
Users of the Crisis Text Line found their conversations with crisis counselors to be helpful
Crisis Text Line (CTL) is the largest provider of text-based crisis intervention help in the United States, with nearly 7 million conversations since it was created in 2013. And with the recent launch of a new nationwide three-digit number (988) for suicide prevention and mental health crisis support (which includes texting), it is important to gauge the perceptions of texters to see if they found the services effective and helpful.
With this in mind, Dr. Anthony Pisani and his team analyzed survey data from 85,877 texters who contacted CTL. In the survey, they were asked if they felt the counselor was genuinely concerned for their well-being, and if texting CTL was effective. Dr. Pisani found that nearly 90% of suicidal texters reported that the conversation was helpful, with nearly half reporting feeling less suicidal by the end of the interaction.
This finding comes from an AFSP-funded study — see the grant below ↓
