Royal correspondent
PA MediaA support service that lets young people text for help when they’re in an emergency mental health crisis has now had three million conversations, with 2,000 messages arriving each day.
The Prince of Wales visited the project in west London which provides 24/7 free text message support for young people with problems, including suicidal thoughts, but who would be unlikely to pick up a phone to talk.
The Shout service responds to emergency messages seeking help, which might come in emojis and text speak, and often late at night.
Among the volunteers staffing this service, designed to be accessible for a digital generation, is Ben West, whose brother Sam committed suicide in 2018.
“How amazing is it, from my point of view, after what Sam went through and losing Sam, to be able to sit there and tell someone texting they’re not on their own any more,” said Ben.
“We’re going to come up with a plan together, and we can spend some time chatting and we can get you to a place where you’re more in control.
“I’ve had conversations where people have told me something they’ve never told anybody else before in their lives. It’s a privilege to be on the other end of that,” said Ben, one of 2,000 current volunteers responding to texts to “Shout 85258”.
Prince William met Ben and other young advisers to the project, hearing about helping young people who might have been reluctant to try other mental health services.
“Young people much prefer to talk via text, it’s become their language anyway… they find it much more accessible and much less intimidating to text someone than speak on the phone,” said Ben.
PA MediaThe Shout helpline was launched in 2018 by Mental Health Innovations, a charity set up by the Royal Foundation, reflecting the prince’s longstanding interest in mental health, having helped set up the Heads Together project.
Prince William was himself a volunteer on the text helpline, after receiving training, during the Covid pandemic, saying his first shift was “terrifying”.
“Some of those conversations lived with me for quite a long time afterwards, and you always say to yourself, ‘Did I give enough, did I do enough, did I find the right answer?'” said Prince William.
“It’s more than just a text line, it’s life saving,” said the prince. He was told that on 35,000 occasions emergency services had intervened directly when people getting in touch seemed to be in imminent danger.
The text message helpline makes it easier for those already struggling to share their feelings. “Sam, my brother, was really embarrassed about his diagnosis of depression, for him it felt like a flaw and something to hide,” said Ben, who since his brother’s suicide has campaigned to improve mental health services.
There are other at-risk groups who can also use the service, who might otherwise be reluctant to speak about their feelings, including middle-aged men.
ReutersVictoria Hornby, chief executive of Mental Health Innovations, said there has been an increase in the “severity” of the problems faced by those seeking help, since the scheme was first launched in 2018.
The percentage of messages from people with suicidal thoughts has risen from 25% to 37%, she said,
Among the other reasons for getting in touch was about low mood, stress, relationship problems, self-harming, loneliness and issues such as body image or tensions about sexuality.
There has also been a significant increase in calls for help from a younger age group, those aged 13 and under, which she said seemed to be part of a growing sense of anxiety and pressure on children’s lives.
Sunday night is the single busiest time for calls, she said, reflecting the pressures people feel before going into the new week, whether at school, college or work.
It’s a moment when a text message exchange, away from other people, can be the way to get help, she said: “You can’t be overheard. For some people having to say out loud things that are incredibly difficult, that can stop people from reaching for help.”
The text helpline is merging with another support service aimed at young people, the Mix, and there is an aim for a wider range of support services, including peer-to-peer mentoring and counselling.
Prince William spoke of the importance of support after that initial contact and education services to help people before their problems are too overwhelming.
“Prevention is really important, before things go spiralling down,” he said.
A report into the project by Imperial College London said such digital services could help tackle the waiting times for help with mental health problems, with 1.5 million waiting for treatment, including 100,000 children and young people.
The report said that two thirds of those who had got in touch with Shout had felt calmer from the exchange.
“We’ve saved lives. It’s an amazing feeling. I just wish this service existed when Sam needed it, someone like me, to talk to. Had that existed then who knows what might have happened,” said Ben.
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