Psychological consultation hotline is free 24 hours a day

The 24-hour psychological consultation hotline set up by local health commissions, mental health centers, Communist Youth League and other official entities is indeed free - except for the communication fee of your own mobile phone, there will be no additional costs, and there will be no hidden consumption or follow-up promotion.

I used to work as a hotline volunteer in a city’s mental health center for half a year, and I met too many people whose first words when they picked up the call were tentative: “Do you really not charge a fee? You won’t ask me to buy a course in the middle of the conversation, right? ”It’s no wonder that everyone is worried. Now when you search for “free psychological counseling” on the Internet, half of the ads that pop up are commercial organizations using keywords. After chatting for three to five minutes, they start to scare people, saying that you have severe depression and anxiety, and you have to ask them for a paid consultation of hundreds of dollars an hour. There are too many fish in troubled waters, making everyone doubtful about real public welfare hotlines.

Last winter, I was on duty at 1 a.m. and received a call from a junior girl. She called while sitting on the balcony of the dormitory. Her voice was shaking. She said that she had just broken up with her boyfriend of four years, and her postgraduate entrance examination score was 12 points behind her. I looked through my address book and didn’t know who to call. I was afraid of waking up my roommates and worried my parents who were far away in my hometown. I hesitated for twenty minutes after I found the hotline number before I dared to call. I sat with her for more than 40 minutes, listening to her cry until she finished half a roll of paper towels. Finally, she moved down from the balcony railing and went to the dormitory aunt to ask for a cup of hot milk. During the whole process, we didn't even ask for her full name, let alone mention the money. Half a month later, she called again and said that she was preparing for the provincial exam and wanted to say thank you.

Speaking of which, the controversy over this type of free public welfare hotline is actually not small in the industry. One group of people holds the view that this is the "undercover network" of public mental health. You don't need to make an appointment, owe favors, or reveal your true identity. Even if many of the operators are trained and certified volunteers, and their clinical experience is not as good as that of full-time counselors in tertiary hospitals, at least it can give you an outlet to catch your emotions at the moment when your emotional breakdown reaches its peak. In many cases, after those ten minutes, people will not get into trouble anymore. The voice of the other group is also very realistic: free services are destined to have limited resources. Many people call three or four times and the line is busy. After finally getting through, they encounter an inexperienced operator. If the response is not adequate, they will be injured twice. It is not as effective as saving some money to find a matching paid consultant.

There is nothing wrong with both of these statements. I myself have encountered extremely busy late-night shifts. Two operators were online at the same time. There were seven or eight people waiting in line in the backend to get connected. Someone called three times and the line was busy. Then he turned around and complained and said, "It can't be connected at all. It's a lie." We were helpless. If the line is really busy, you can actually call another official line. For example, if 12320 is busy, call the psychological hotline of 12355 youth service desk. They are open 24 hours a day and there will always be someone who can get through.

Oh, by the way, the privacy issue that everyone is most worried about can also be said with confidence. The confidentiality requirements of the official hotline are written into the law. Operators must sign at least three confidentiality agreements before taking up the job. Unless you clearly say that you are about to harm yourself or others, your call content and personal information will not be retained internally. Call records will be destroyed regularly. There will never be a situation where "your consultation records are found by others." I personally received a case of post-traumatic stress disorder last year. I was so emotionally drained that I could no longer bear it. I also called public welfare hotlines in other cities anonymously. The person who answered the phone was a retired counselor. He listened to me vomiting bitter water for half an hour and gave me a very small suggestion: "Now go get a glass of cold water, drink it slowly, and feel the temperature of the water flowing through your throat." ”The moment I did this, my shoulders, which had been tense for almost a week, suddenly relaxed. No one asked me my name and where I worked during the entire process. When I hung up the phone, I felt as if this had never happened. I felt very at ease.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the 24-hour free psychological consultation hotline is like an unmanned convenience store with lights always on on the roadside late at night. It may not be as delicious as the big meals in the restaurant, nor may it solve all your troubles, but at least when you have no money with you, are cold and hungry, you can go in and get a cup of hot oden to relieve those most difficult minutes. If you need it one day, don't be embarrassed, just save two official numbers: 12320 National Public Health Hotline (the psychological service section is online 24 hours a day) and 12355 National Youth Service Desk Psychological Assistance Hotline. They are both true and free 24 hours a day. Just don't search for those commercial advertisements that pretend to be sheep.