Have you ever felt that there is no point in getting out of bed? Do you struggle to understand your own feelings? Do you, at times, feel like you have no one to talk to?

Richmond Malta has just launched an online chat service, available 24/7, where you can talk to someone on your phone, tablet or computer about these thoughts. 

This confidential service will be especially useful for those who feel they do not have enough privacy - whether at home, on the bus or in a crowded place - to call 1770, the number that offers a similar round-the-clock mental wellbeing service.

The service, launched on Wednesday in collaboration with telecommunications service EPIC, is called OLLI (1770 inverted).

How does it work?

It works similar to a social media or customer service chat, but is completely confidential.

"Your IP address will not be traced unless you provide your consent, or the professionals at the other end of the chat are 100% sure that you are in danger," Richmond Malta’s CEO, Stephania Dimech Sant, assured Times of Malta on Wednesday.

The service can be accessed by typing olli.chat in your browser or clicking here, where one will be met with the words "It's ok not to feel ok".

By clicking on the blue icon to the right, and the system will immediately assign the user a nickname.

At the other end, a person specifically trained in mental wellbeing will listen, no matter how for how long one speaks to them, even if it is the middle of the night.

Warren Agius, one of the people taking 1770 calls, recalls spending two hours with a man on the phone until an ambulance arrived to provide first aid. 

The caller was a 50-year-old man who started off talking about the financial impact of COVID-19, and the ensuing effect on his wellbeing, until Agius realised that the man was having suicidal thoughts. The man was provided support just in time.

Another call by a teenager whose anxiety was impacting her performance at school and relationships, led to a face-to-face meeting with the minor, her parents and a professional. The child expressed relief with her parents about how it was the first time that she could open up about her feelings and talk to someone. 

An OLLI chat window. Photo: Times of Malta

OLLI will provide privacy

The pandemic caused a four-fold increase in the number of calls to 1770, a service that was extended last year.

Agius said that professionals receive calls from people who cannot sleep and have no one to talk to in the middle of the night, youths who are anxious about their studies and adults suffering depression, among others.

OLLI will provide the same service as the helpline, however, it is much more accessible and private.

The need for an online chat that could provide callers with privacy grew throughout the pandemic, when most people were stuck at home with their housemates and could not hold a private conversation over the phone, he said.

Dimech Sant noted that according to Richmond’s research, a quarter of the population sought someone to speak to about how they were feeling during the pandemic.

And despite the numbers currently being under control, people are still adapting to the impact of COVID-19, while others are finding it challenging to go back to normality, she added.

Olli is being supported by Epic as Richmond’s main partner, Arkafort as tech partner, Rightbrain for website design and Lovin Malta as media partners.