Reddit partners with Crisis Text Line to give users mental health support
Reddit and the mental health support service Crisis Text Line joined forces Wednesday to help connect users of the message board to live counselors.
The partnership makes it possible for a Reddit user to flag someone they feel is struggling with serious self-harm or suicide. That will trigger an immediate private message from Reddit to the person in distress. The message will include mental health resources and a suggestion to use their phone to text the phrase CHAT to connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor. This tool will only be available for users based in the United States.
Information about how to reach Crisis Text Line will also be included in the site's wiki and in the resources section of a community known as Suicide Watch.
Users can flag someone as at risk for suicide by reporting a comment or piece of content, or from a button on the person's user profile. Reddit will employ rate-limiting so that a user can't be flagged multiple times for the same comment or piece of content. Redditors have long been able to report abuse of reporting tools, so if someone falsely claims a user is suicidal, that can be reported to the site's moderators.
Reddit, which has 430 million monthly users, is known for its tight-knit communities known as subreddits, where people gather to talk about their curiosities, interests, and obsessions. Mental health and wellness are frequently themes.
"On Reddit, people are able to find community around an infinite number of topics relevant to them — and as an anonymous platform, we provide a space for people to express the most vulnerable parts of themselves," the company said in a statement.
Crisis Text Line created a partnership with Facebook a few years ago. Users can reach Crisis Text Line via Facebook Messenger. The data contained in the messages can be erased by Crisis Text Line and Facebook with a request from the user.
If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, Crisis Text Line provides free, confidential support 24/7. Text CRISIS to 741741 to be connected to a crisis counselor. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Here is a list of international resources.
Topics Health Mental Health Social Good Reddit
Rebecca Ruiz is a Senior Reporter at Mashable. She frequently covers mental health, digital culture, and technology. Her areas of expertise include suicide prevention, screen use and mental health, parenting, youth well-being, and meditation and mindfulness. Rebecca's experience prior to Mashable includes working as a staff writer, reporter, and editor at NBC News Digital and as a staff writer at Forbes. Rebecca has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a masters degree from U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.
