Demand for Calgary teen crisis line up 82% in 2017: Distress Centre

A former volunteer at the Distress Centre’s teen crisis line says she believes the number of calls, texts and online messages have increased because more teens are “comfortable reaching out” and staff say teens may be more honest in online communication compared to phone calls.

The centre announced Tuesday that demand for ConnecTeen has increased 82 per cent in 2017. The biggest spike was in the number of texts to the crisis line, which increased by 148 per cent.

WATCH BELOW: ConnecTeen offers text support to teens in distress

Sometimes I would come in for a shift and I wouldn’t even receive a single text, call, chat, email,” Rosemary Scholten said. “And now, in 2017, any shift that I was on, there would be at least one chat, text, call or email – you name it.”

Scholten, 22, said it may be easier for teens to reach out via text, because they can do so without their parent’s knowledge.

“It’s harder for them to call because their parents might listen in,” she said.

Chloe McBean, contact centre manager at the Distress Centre, said Tuesday that teens who reach out online may also be more honest about what they’re going through.

“People are actually a bit more honest online, because there’s more of this layer of what you call anonymity or confidentiality,” she said. “They don’t have to deal with the person’s voice, they don’t have to worry about any kind of judgment. They can take their time.”

She said teens are more likely to bring up issues like self-harm or suicide when they reach out online.

McBean said it’s too soon to tell what has caused the spike in the number of calls to the teen crisis line. However, she said in the past year they’ve extended their hours.

“We have noticed that the time our teens get in touch the most is actually around 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. That’s when the peak volume comes in.”

Scholten said she recently moved to the crisis line but had been volunteering on ConnecTeen for two years. She said because of her age, she was able to closely relate to some of the issues brought up during online or telephone conversations she’s had.

“High school has a lot of stress, so I can definitely relate to some of those issues that come up, whether it’s from a friend, helping a friend or helping myself get through these issues.”

McBean said Tuesday that in terms of topics being brought up, the biggest spike has been in suicide. However, she said that doesn’t necessarily indicate that more teens are having thoughts of suicide. Instead, it could mean more youth are open to talking about it.

McBean said the months that see the greatest spikes in activity are March and June.