NOT enough teens in crisis call helplines - and that worries
those who set them up.
While desperate ones do pick up the receiver as a last resort,
operators say, youths can benefit by calling sooner.
Samaritans of Singapore, Youthline and Teen Challenge offer
professional help for teen callers facing problems, from family
disputes to relationship woes, sex-related issues and school
stress.
Yet a survey of seven local helplines showed that not all are
subscribed to enough by teens.
Touchline receives an average of 2,000 calls per year but only
10 to 15 per cent are from troubled youths; the rest come from
concerned parents and caregivers, and prank callers.
Of the estimated 200 calls that Teen Challenge took from January
to June this year, only a quarter were from troubled youths.
Youthline, which caters to youths aged 13 to 19, has been rung
up a mere 23 times since its relaunch in March.
Said Ms Ruby Chan, deputy executive director of Youth Challenge,
which mans Youthline: 'We want youths to know that if things don't
work out, they can always turn to us.'
A straw poll of 46 youths aged 13 to 18 shed some light on why
teens are reluctant to call helplines despite the promise of
anonymity and professional help.
The teens, who are mostly students in Secondary 3 and 4,
revealed that they would rather not confide in strangers. They also
think it is wimpy to call.
--ST