Trouble lines are available to help on election night as callers increase
On the eve of the 2020 election, Caitlin Ruzycky, a social worker and crisis doctor, was managing 30 simultaneous conversations on the Crisis Text Line.
Some feared for their future as part of the LGBTQ+ community, others worried about conspiracy theories or media bias, and others worried that the election results would separate their families. The authors of the text came from different political and socio-economic backgrounds, ranging in age, gender, race and political affiliation.
Ruzycky was the supervisor of the crisis counselor at the time, and his job was to support the volunteer crisis counselors with these discussions and to intervene when necessary. An important part of his role included risk reduction; Suicide was common throughout this period of partition.
“It was a political season in 2020, as it is,” says Ruzycky.
These forms of support are needed more than ever, with 69% of US adults reporting that the 2024 presidential election is the biggest source of stress in their lives, indicating an increase up from 52% in 2016, according to an APA survey released this month. . More than 7 in 10 adults are worried that the election results could lead to violence and almost 1 in 3 have experienced tension and distance from their family members.
988, the national suicide and crisis line, experienced a historic increase in callers on Election Day 2016, with the number of callers rising 65% more than expected. Crisis Text Line has seen a noticeable increase in texters during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, according to Dr. Shairi Turner, Chief Health Officer at Crisis Text Line.
“We can’t predict what 2024 will bring,” Turner says. But they’ve had a lot of conversations about election anxiety, and they expect that to rise as we get closer to Nov. 5.
As the election nears, crisis centers are preparing to support texters and callers with concerns – regardless of political affiliation.
Crisis counselors prepare for election night
Although many people will spend time thinking about the election, they can still go about their normal activities. But there are people “deeply involved in the chaos surrounding the election,” Turner says. They may become preoccupied with issues, withdraw from their relationships, and experience insomnia, appetite and anxiety.
That’s when he says they should consider contacting a crisis line, although support is available regardless of the severity of the stress. Crisis Text Line Motto: “Your problems are our problems.”
Angie Anaeme, a crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line and a medical student at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, joined the team after the 2020 election. Now, he is preparing to work on his first election night.
Anaeme says: “Sometimes it makes sense when you’re on stage when you’re working at a busy time or you have a lot of conversations going on at the same time.
And when you’re dealing with more than 30 conversations at once, you have to know how to “pivot,” Ruzycky says.
While election anxiety brings more texting, some distress calls are not stopping. Volunteers need to be equipped to juggle a variety of election-related calls while supporting people struggling with suicide, depression, domestic violence and more.
Anaeme is expecting a busy night, but she feels confident with the support from other volunteers and her colleagues that she will be more successful than that.
‘We’re in the same weather’
When those in crisis experience election anxiety, volunteers and staff live in similar turbulent times.
“We do not vote in the elections ourselves. We are also in the same climate,” says Anaeme.
“That presents a challenge for us as counselors, because we need to remain politically neutral,” says Ryan Dickson, Director of Crisis Community Services at CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank in Iowa City. “We don’t measure by our values, we focus on human feelings.”
For Ruzycky, an important part of this is using cultural sensitivity and learning to manage conflicting beliefs.
“I will never know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. So I don’t understand, but I always try to understand, like, ‘What would make you want to vote for this person?’” he says. It was to make sure I was neutral about what I believed in, so that I could support my volunteers and my mailers.
Emergency operators often help each other in difficult situations. Ruzycky says part of the job is to “help bring down some of our volunteers who feel motivated by some of these conversations.”
Which devices will have problem calls?
Crisis linesare designed to support callers, texters and counselors alike.
At Crisis Text Line, the team has created an election anxiety tool with recommendations, basic exercises, tips and referrals to outside resources. Managers groom their advisers through role-plays – private conversations where advisers practice dissecting the political landscape of the charge. Other methods include helping those in distress to reframe and avoid disaster by using mindfulness and improved coping skills.
Crisis counselors also aim to reduce suicide, and managers are equipped to intervene when the vulnerable are at imminent risk of suicide.
Dickson says their political pressure calls usually don’t lead to suicidal thoughts, but one exception is when Roe v. Wade overturned. After that, they had a higher reaction to callers with unplanned pregnancies who were having suicidal thoughts.
“Generally, on the night of a presidential election, (waiters) are very nervous and not sure what to do,” Dickson said.
Aid is available across the political spectrum
The hotlines encourage anyone who needs additional support to contact them on election night and beyond — Turner says they’re ready.
“As crisis counselors we are not there to influence (those sending messages) in any way, to judge their opinion about the election or to change their opinion about the political situation,” Anaeme says. “Our first commitment is to see them and make sure they feel heard, validated and empowered.”
If you’re struggling with election anxiety, help is available. Call or text 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by sending a message “ELECTIONS” or “ELECTIONS” to 741-741.
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