Texting can be a tool to combat depression
- Apr 11, 2016
- 2 min read
Our generation is a wired one. We use technology to stay in touch with friends and family at all times. Through smartphones, computers, and gaming consoles, people are permanently plugged into a network of social devices, creating a culture of “connected cocooning.”
This opinion article was originally featured in PantherNOW and talks about how texting can provide support for people in a depression.
Check out the article’s excerpt below and click the link if you want to read the full story!
_______________________
Maytinee Kramer/Staff Writer
Our generation is a wired one. We use technology to stay in touch with friends and family at all times. Through smartphones, computers, and gaming consoles, people are permanently plugged into a network of social devices, creating a culture of “connected cocooning.” However, studies have shown that with the heavy rise of technology usage comes negative effects on sleep quality, stress levels and general mental health. More specifically, heavy uses of technology have shown that young adults are more likely to develop depression or other psychiatric problems.
To combat depression and help people by providing direct support as well as anonymous data about people in crisis, the nonprofit Do Something started a 24/7 free Crisis Text Line to give people access to crisis counselors. Nowadays, people text more than they call, and since they’re more likely to send a text message, this service has become imperative to saving lives.
Launched in 2013, CTL is the first around-the-clock hotline in America to provide its services solely over text messaging, helping more and more teenagers and adults in distress. As more and more people tap out text messages to trained volunteer counselors on 741741 every day, data from those conversations has helped provide many possibilities for how to reach out to people before a crisis occurs.
_______________________
Photo Credit: Maytinee Kramer
Comments