Lifeline: Help in a Mental Health Crisis

Lifeline: Help in a Mental Health Crisis

Who do you text or call when you are depressed, anxious or stressed? Millions of teens and young adults in America are suffering from mental health problems, but the majority suffer alone without help. Over 77% of college students are reporting severe psychological stress, and 3 in 5 teen girls report feeling sad or hopeless. More teens and young adults in America are dying from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED . The mental health crisis in America is like a “mental health hurricane” with millions of young people at-risk of “drowning” or dying from mental health problems. Lifeline is an easy-to-understand, relatable mental health interactive lab book that will help you understand your mental health problems and design your own customized mental health healing plan. Written with the help of hundreds of young people, the book is filled with inspirational stories about young people who have battled mental health problems, and how they found help, healing and God’s hope that life is worth living and the future can be good. Lifeline educates readers about anxiety, depression, insomnia, eating disorders, cutting, suicidal thoughts, bullying, addiction, abuse and sexual assault. A nationwide shortage of mental health professionals, plus barriers such as shame and financial hardship, make it extremely difficult for young people to get help. The book empowers young people to reach out for help themselves and we give them the tools to do just that. Healing mental health problems requires a multi-faceted approach, which is why our mental health menu chapter presents multiple options including CTL (crisis text line), online mental health professionals, medical doctors, parents, teachers, youth pastors, prayer, exercise, yoga, video games, healthy friendships, journaling, nature walks, addiction recovery groups, domestic abuse hotlines, sexual assault resources, college campus ministries, comfort animals and more. Our Mental Health Healing Plan (MHHP) chapter provides the reader with tools to design their own customized healing plan by choosing resources from the mental health menu. Finally, the last section of the book equips readers to help their hurting friends through our Lifeline Training, which equips young people to recognize hurting peers, reach out, and connect them to safe people and life-saving resources. Student Endorsements "My daily panic attacks were so bad that eventually I just wanted to die so the pain would stop. This Lifeline book has been a lifesaver, and connected me with an online counselor, peer mentor, and new hope that God has a good plan ahead for my life." Maria W.- California high school junior "Academic pressure, depression and loneliness made it hard to function my freshman year in college, so I started binge drinking. Someone gave me this Lifeline book and connected me to a counselor, AA group, and campus ministry community. Without their help, I might not be here." - Sam T. College, New York freshman