Crisis Text Line is the largest text-based crisis service in the world. You text the word HOME (or any word) to 741741 from anywhere in the United States. A volunteer crisis counselor responds, usually within minutes.
The service is free. Carriers do not charge for the messages. The conversation is confidential — Crisis Text Line does not share message content with carriers, schools, or law enforcement except in narrow circumstances involving immediate physical danger.
Many teens and young adults find text easier than calling. There's no audible voice. No one in your house can overhear. You can pause to think before responding. If you're in a place where speaking out loud isn't safe — at school, in a shared bedroom, in a parent's house — text often works when a phone call doesn't.