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Shout is a free, confidential and 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone in the UK struggling to cope with their mental health. It’s our first service and is proven to reach new audiences who prefer to text rather than talk, taking pressure off phone lines.

After launching publicly in May 2019, Shout scaled rapidly, due to huge and growing demand from children, young people and adults feeling anxious, depressed or suicidal. Conversations are taken by trained Shout Volunteers, supported in real-time by experienced clinicians.

Shout Volunteers have taken more than two million conversations with 675,000 children, young people and adults who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support. 62% of the people who have texted Shout are under-25.

Shout operates at scale, taking between 1,500 and 2,000 conversations a day. As a digital service, the anonymised Shout dataset gives unique insight into UK mental health trends.

How Shout works

Key insights into Shout texters

  • 63% are children and young people
  • 26% of school-aged texters are receiving free school meals
  • 55% have no-one else to talk to
  • 38% have never spoken to anyone about their mental health before
  • 43% identify as LGBTQ+
  • 7% identify as Autistic and 7% have ADHD
  • 3% live with learning disabilities

Our unique track record

2 million

conversations since launch

1,500 - 2,000

daily conversations with people from every region across the UK

£10

each conversation costs less than £10

39%

of conversations were related to suicide

30,000

safety plans co-created with texters who were at imminent risk of suicide

1-2%

the number of texters who were at imminent risk referred to emergency services

Find out how Shout can support your organisation