Think Out Loud

Broadcast: Wednesday, July 10

In this undated, public domain file photo, a young person is pictured on their mobile phone. For the last five years, the Safe Social Spaces program has been reaching out on social media to youth who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide. SSS is run by the Oregon Lines for Life nonprofit.

In this undated, public domain file photo, a young person is pictured on their mobile phone. For the last five years, the Safe Social Spaces program has been reaching out on social media to youth who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide. SSS is run by the Oregon Lines for Life nonprofit.

Courtesy Pxhere

For the past five years, Oregon’s Lines for Life has been running a youth program called Safe Social Spaces. Now, an OHSU study published in the journal Psychiatric Services suggests the program may have prevented more than 160 suicide attempts since it began. The program uses social media to find youth struggling with suicidal ideation and provide support through social media’s direct messaging systems. We hear more from Angie Nielsen, the nonprofit’s YouthLine assistant director of clinical operations who co-authored the study, and Genevieve Castle, a social media crisis intervention specialist.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 9-8-8 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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