May is Mental Health Awareness Month; TXT4Life saves lives

Saving a life could be as simple as a text message.
A team of local professionals is working to get the message out about TXT4Life, a suicide prevention resource that uses texting as a way for those in crisis to seek help anonymously.
Because youth are most at risk for suicide (the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds), it’s designed to respond to their most-used method of communication.
“Teens were not getting connected to crisis services by phone calls,” said Amber Nase, regional TXT4Life coordinator for Southwestern Mental Health Center.
“Calling and talking directly to someone can be difficult, so texting may be easier and more comfortable for teens reaching out for help.”
The service is free, confidential and anonymous, and it’s available anytime, day or night.
And it’s not just for youth.
“Anyone can use it, regardless of their age or location,” said Nase, whose work covers Rock, Nobles, Pipestone, Cottonwood and Jackson counties.
Here’s how it works:  
When individuals text the word “life” to 6122, they are connected with trained counselors who can listen, provide tools and resources and help them get to a safe place, both emotionally and physically.
In 2013, the first year it was offered, the program handled 3,480 text sessions in the five-county southwest Minnesota area. In 2014 there were 5,658 and last year there were 10,000.
 “The numbers are kind of shocking,” said Scott Johnson, director of the Southwestern Mental Health Center in Luverne. “When Amber goes out and presents, we start getting texts. It’s getting used.”
He said the biggest challenge is sharing information about TXT4Life with those who could be helped by it.
“We’re still losing people; the folks who are isolated and don’t reach out are the most at risk,” Johnson said. “One of the important things is to get the word out.”
That’s why the Southwestern Mental Health Center applied for — and received — a grant through Canvas Health to fund Nase’s half-time job, which is to spread the word about TXT4Life.
She visits with schools, organizations, hospitals, law enforcement, crisis centers and other groups. She also sets up booths at area events, like the recent home show in Luverne and at the Rock County Fair.
The service is available in 39 Minnesota Counties and will be expanded to the rest of Greater Minnesota as funding allows.
Nase said her presentations are most effective in small settings like school health classes.
“We talk about who could be at risk — really, anyone could be at risk — and we have them take out their phones and enter the text number,” Nase said.
Johnson pointed out that no one is immune from mental health problems.
“It’s an equal opportunity illness. It can affect anyone at any time,” he said. “Serious mental health conditions can be severely disabling at times and sometimes life-threatening.”
It’s important to intervene before a condition is left untreated for too long, and Johnson said 85 percent of people respond well to treatment, whether it’s medication or therapy or both.
So far, the majority (58 percent) of TXT4Life sessions have been with females between the ages of 12-17. The primary issues were suicide (22 percent), mental health (21 percent) and relationships (12 percent).
“We mostly help people who are contemplating suicide,” Johnson said. “They may be feeling hopeless or helpless, or they may have lost a job or lost a loved one.”
In addition to promoting TXT4Life, Nase talks about local resources that are available.
For example, SWMH has a mobile crisis team of mental health professionals that can respond to emergencies — on site if need be. The Mobile Crisis Hotline number is 1-800-642-1525.
Often the help comes via certified on-call professionals who listen to problems and steer people toward resources in their communities.
“They could potentially save a life,” Nase said.
“When people come up to me and say they used the program, when I learn that it impacted even one person, it’s rewarding to me.”
Johnson said, “It does save lives. We have intervened in life-threatening situations and it’s rewarding. … These are real things that cause people real distress, and they need help.”
Sometimes people check back in later to say how they’re doing. “I’ve had help since the last time I’ve texted in,” was one message that came in on April 8, 2015. “I’m getting treatment, and I want to thank you for saving my life.”
To learn more about TXT4Life, see www.txt4life.org.
For more information about mental health services in southwest Minnesota, see www.swmhc.org.