‘Lasting legacy’: Big change to Lifeline support service

Young people hesitant to pick up the phone and call for help are set to benefit from a major expansion to a Lifeline support service.

Vulnerable Australians needing urgent mental health intervention will now be able to text Lifeline at any time of the day in a major change to the service.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the service opened a text line – allowing vulnerable Australians who didn’t feel comfortable picking up the phone to text a qualified crisis supporter between 6pm and midnight.

Demand for the service significantly increased throughout the pandemic, and after almost two years of the limited pilot service, the federal government on Monday announced a $1.5m boost that will transform the program to 24/7 after it responded to 51,265 text conversations in 2021.

It’s hoped the expanded text service will mean more young people, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those experiencing family and domestic violence, find comfort in the program.

Lifeline is continuing to record high levels of calls and texts, with a record 3700 calls made in one day alone in January.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government have invested $1.5m in transforming Lifeline’s text service to 24/7. Picture Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

Lifeline chief executive Colin Seery said the platform had increased the range and total number of people contacting the organisation.

“This is a landmark in suicide prevention in Australia and is all about bringing help to people who are in situations and environments where accessing support through digital communication is the only safe or viable option,” he said.

“The service is unique in that it allows for genuine privacy during contact, so it is well suited to support cohorts at heightened vulnerability such as help seekers experiencing domestic and family violence or those living with a disability.”

After Lifeline launched the service in 2019, initial survey data showed 42 per cent of people would not use another service if the text line was not available.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week doubled down on his desire to make his government’s pandemic investments in mental health and suicide prevention a “lasting legacy”.

“While every death by suicide is a tragedy, every life saved is a great blessing,” Mr Morrison said last week.

“Official figures show that while demands for mental health services surged off the charts during the pandemic, remarkably, death by suicide rates across the country actually fell.

“And it remained at those lower levels – that’s extraordinary.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was reassuring that people were reaching out for help when they needed to.

“The expansion of the text service is backed by data showing that it is the preferred channel for high-risk members of the community, including young people,” Mr Hunt said.

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman said the expansion of the program would mean no Australian had to experience “their darkest moment alone”.

“(Lifeline) literally saves lives,” Mr Coleman said.

“The 24/7 Lifeline crisis support text service makes Lifeline’s support available to groups who might otherwise not reach out for help, particularly young people who are often more comfortable using text services.”

Those wanting to access the service can send a confidential text message to 0477 13 11 14.

MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Compared to people with other health conditions presenting at an ED, people with mental illness are: 

• nearly twice as likely to arrive by ambulance
• 10 times more likely to arrive by police or correctional services vehicles
• twice as likely to be in ED for more than 8 hours
• over represented among those kept waiting in ED for an inpatient bed
• even more over represented among those delayed in leaving ED due to an inpatient bed not being available.