New helpline available for teens feeling sad, anxious, lonely or angry

Nationwide, more than four in 10 youth felt persistently hopeless in 2021, and 1 out of 3 students experienced poor mental health.

To help deal with this mental health crisis, the National Alliance on Mental Illness recently launched the NAMI Teen & Young Adult HelpLine. The free, nationwide service provides a safe space for young people to connect with peers who understand their struggles and offers them resources and information to help.

In Dubois County in 2023, the percentage of girls who said they felt sad or lonely for two or more weeks – the definition of depression – ranged from a low of 29.4 at the 10th-grade level to a high of 38.4 at the sixth-grade level. For boys, the percentage ranged from a low of 11.7 of seventh-graders to a high of 23 percent of sixth-graders.

The NAMI helpline specialists are available by phone, text or chat from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern. It may be accessed by texting “Friend” to 62640, logging in to nami.org/talktous, or calling 800-950-6264.

Teens and young adults are encouraged to reach out if they are feeling sad, anxious, lonely or angry; if they’re having trouble sleeping; or if they are going through a difficult time in their life.

Dubois County youth also have the opportunity to opt into the Believe in You campaign, a project started last year by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction. Those who enroll receive a series of weekly text messages that provide both verbal and written support, education, polls, questions and links to a video portal. To opt in, text BEYOU to 877-861-6807.