COLUMBUS – Ohio has launched a system allowing people in stressful situations to text counselors for help, day or night.
The program, which began Thursday, allows people to text the keyword “4hope” to 741741. Trained crisis counselors will be available to respond and share information on a range of issues, including thoughts of suicide, bullying, depression and self-harm.
“Crisis Text Line is not a replacement for counseling, but when one feels completely overwhelmed, lost and alone, it’s a point of connection and a way to get to a more stable frame of mind,” said Tracy Plouck, director for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Plouck says that while crisis phone lines have been used successfully for decades, technology is changing and it’s important to offer other ways for Ohioans to get help.
The Crisis Text Line is an outgrowth of an ongoing “Strong Families, Safe Communities” partnership between the OhioMHAS and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to fund innovative projects to assist families and youth who are at-risk.
While the state’s suicide rate dropped last year to its lowest point in more than a decade, it still accounted for 10.8 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the department. On average, 1,200 to 1,500 Ohioans commit suicide every year.