TeenLine service sees 20 per cent rise in calls received
By Mary Dennehy
TEENLINE Ireland received more than 24,000 calls to its confidential listening service in 2015, a 20 per cent increase on the number of calls received in 2014.
TeenLine Ireland, the country’s only dedicated teenage helpline, received more than 24,000 calls in the last 12 months – the highest number of calls received by the helpline since opening in 2006.
The charity, which was established by Tallaght mother Maureen Bolger after her son Darren tragically lost his life to suicide in 2003, also received more than 8,000 messages to its text service – which was introduced in November 2014.
Over the Christmas period, the text service, which was introduced to encourage more males to reach out, received over 200 messages on December 23 – which was the highest day for text messages over the Christmas holidays.
Declan Brennan, the Chairperson of TeenLine, said: “We have seen a significant number of calls to our helpline in 2015.
“We are proud to provide a service where young people can call confidentially and know they will be listened to. We are continually training in new volunteers to provide a compassionate listening ear at the end of the line for whoever may ring the helpline.”
He added: “While there has been a rise in calls to the helpline, service trends from previous years continue.
“There was three times the number of female callers to male callers, with the most common reason for a younger person to contact the helpline being simply to talk to someone.
“The second most common reason to call was to chat, followed by loneliness and then relationship issues.”
The highest number of calls in 2015 were received in June and April.
Call the TeenLine helpline on 1800 833 634 or text teen to 50015. Both lines are free and open from 8pm to 11pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
To contact the office call 4622122/4622124 or for further information visit www.teenline.ie, email info@teenline.ie or visit the TeenLine Facebook page.
Read more…
