Maine’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Maine) announced the launch of a Teen Text Support Line, a new mental health program for Maine youth between the ages of 14-20, which aims to provide mental health support during the coronavirus crisis and beyond.

The Text Line can be reached at (207) 515-8398 (TEXT) and operates from noon-10 p.m. each day. It provides adolescents who may need additional mental health support with a safe space to talk with another young person. Staff providing support via the Teen Text Line are between 19 and 23 years old.

According to the 2019 Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book, Maine’s youth have the highest rate of diagnosed anxiety in the nation, and the country’s third highest rate of diagnosed depression among children aged 3 to 17.

The Teen Text Line is not a crisis line. If someone is in crisis, contact the Maine Crisis Line by phone or text at (888) 568-1112.

For more information, visit www.namimaine.org/page/teentextline, or contact NAMI Maine’s CEO Jenna Mehnert at (207) 907-0303 or jenna@namimaine.org.