Help Is Hope

A List Of Resources For Mental Illness, Abuse, And Sexual Assault

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New art on the empathy wall encourages hope.

Emily Swanson, Staff Writer

Life can be hard, there’s no denying. However, some students have to go through more problems than what seems fair. On the bright side, there are plenty of resources online for a variety of problems. Here is a list of resources for mental illnesses, abuse, and sexual assault.

Some people will report being hopeless when suffering mental illnesses, but many of them are treatable. It all starts with getting help. Thankfully, the internet provides mental health help better and more accessible than before. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) helpline, 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), is open on weekdays 10am-6pm. For 24/7 help, you can text NAMI to 741-741. The crisis counselors on the other end can help you find resources in your area, but they can’t provide therapy or call the police. If you are expressing suicide ideation, they will connect you to the National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).  For more resources, click the following links.

Abuse can be present through different people in someone’s life. It can be seen in parents, siblings, friends, partners, or anyone in their life. According to loveisrespect.orgthe types of abuse are physical, emotional/verbal, sexual, financial, digital, and stalking. For information on warning signs, click here or here. Advocates of the National Domestic Violence Hotline are able to be reached 24/7 by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or through their online chat service. This service is available for survivors and victims of all types of abuse.

Finally, sexual assault is not uncommon for high school students. In fact, teen girls ages 16-19 are 4x more likely to be victims of sexual assault. Sexual assault is all forms of unwanted sexual contact, including rape, being touched, and verbal comments. The hotline for sexual assault is 800-656-HOPE (4673). You will  be connected to a sexual assault service provider who can give you local resources offline. The service is confidential, however, if you are in danger then the provider on the other end would, by law, have to contact local authorities. It’s possible to take legal action against the perpetrator, depending on the nature of the case. Women’s Law is an organization to help sexual assault survivors do just that, regardless of gender. Visit this link for an extensive list of resources for specific situations.

There is help for all situations. Healing starts with reaching out.