Nancy Lublin: Ok. Got it. Hi.
Ina Fried: Hey Nancy, thanks so much.
Lublin: Thanks for having me.
Fried: Unusual times, 
but appreciate you making yourself available.
For folks that don’t understand, what is Crisis Text Line?
Lublin: So, Crisis Text Line is 24/7 
support at your fingertips.
And I think people — for a long time — have
focused on the technology being different
because it is all by text and Facebook Messenger.
Fried: And for people that aren't part of the texting
generation, like it might seem like, can you really get the kind of support you need over messages?
Lublin: It's more private.
So we get people in the moment, rather than having to find a quiet place where you can get on the phone
and get calm. People are texting us from in the middle of a meeting, during a fight with their family.
There's a lot to be said for the nuance of voice and facial expressions, but sometimes you just want someone
immediately, without judgment 
and bias to hear your pain.
Fried: What kinds of things are you seeing?
What volume of calls? 
What percentage of calls are related to the virus?
Lublin: Overall volume is up a little bit, but not significantly, which is a surprise to us. It's the type of volume and where it's coming from.
So, normally, 53 percent of our texters are under the age of 17. We're seeing that decrease. They're not going to
school. They're less freaked out about relationships.
So we're not seeing young people have 
anxiety as much as we're seeing older people.
So we're growing and by older people, 
I mean over the age of 25.
Anxiety is now the number one issue we're seeing, whereas normally the number one issue we see is relationships followed by depression.
Fried: How concerned are you that at some point, if not now, that we're going to have a mental health crisis or a
fear pandemic, like where do, sort of, just anxiety and fear and general mental health, where are those on your concern radar?
Lublin: I am concerned about what fear does and that it's crippling for people, for business.
I'm concerned that quarantines may lead to an increase in child abuse and domestic violence as people are
quarantined with abusers and as stress runs high.
Fried: One group that certainly comes to mind for me are LGBTQ youth — that they were getting a lot of support
from their peers. And now they've lost 
their support in school.
How critical do you think 
that those situations are going to be?
Lublin: For LGBTQ youth or for anyone who's marginalized, is, the internet has always been a
salvation for marginalized people. This is a time for physical distance and social connection.
Fried: I don't know how much you hear in general from folks where immigration status is a big issue.
How concerned are you that, you know, people aren't feeling equally accessible to the health resources even
that are out there before the system gets overwhelmed?
Lublin: A lot of low-income immigrants are wage laborers. And so I'm worried that they don't have sick
days, they don't have health care, and they may be pressured to work right now. And that they may not feel
safe going to a hospital or seeking out health care because they would be worried about a forced deportation.
Text is, again, a fantastic, safe way to reach out because we don't know who you are. It's anonymous and your
phone number’s encrypted. We are here for people in pain. We don’t care who you are.
Fried: How do people get involved?
Lublin: You can apply to become a volunteer crisis counselor. It's an application, a background check, and
then it's about a 30-hour training. You can do this basically on demand from your couch.
Fried: Do you think we're prepared 
for the mental health challenges that 
come in the days, weeks and months ahead?
Lublin: I would make the plea for more funding for mental health organizations and providers.
I mean, we've had a shortage. But I think a lot of things are about to be underfunded.
Fried: Ok. I super appreciate it, Nancy.
Lublin: Thank you guys, good luck, and stay healthy.
