How to get help in a crisis?
If your life is at risk right now
If you feel like you might attempt suicide, or may have seriously harmed yourself, you need urgent medical help. Please:
- Call 999 for an ambulance
- Go straight to A&E, if you can
- Call your local crisis team – if you don’t already have their number, you can find an urgent mental health helpline on the NHS website
If you can’t do this by yourself, ask someone to help you.
Mental health emergencies are serious.
If you don’t want to call 999
If you can keep yourself safe for a short while, but you still need urgent advice:
- Dial NHS 111, 24 hours, 7 days a week.
- Contact a local urgent mental health helpline
- Contact GP surgery and ask for an emergency appointment.
If you need to talk right now
Whatever you’re going through, there are people you can talk to any time. You can:
- Samaritans: call Samaritans on 116 123 (Text 0725 90 90 90; Email : jo@samaritans.org)
- SHOUT! text SHOUT to 85258 (24 hours, 7 days a week)
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): Helpline for men. (Dial 0800 58 58 58. 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year)
- Domestic abuse: Refuge Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline for Women (Dial 0808 2000 247, 24 hours 7 days a week)
These services are for anyone who’s struggling.
They won’t judge you.
They’re free, they’re anonymous, and they’re always open.
Mental health crisis helplines
If you’re in crisis and need to talk right now, there are many helplines staffed by trained people ready to listen. They won’t judge you, and could help you make sense of what you’re feeling.
- Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
- SANEline. If you’re experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (6pm to midnight every day).
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.
- Shout. If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text SHOUT to 85258. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help.
- The Mix. If you’re under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.
- Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you’re under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (24 hours, 7 days a week), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.
- Nightline. If you’re a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.
- Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.
- Helplines Partnership. For more options, visit the Helplines Partnership website for a directory of UK helplines. Mind’s Infoline can also help you find services that can support you. If you’re outside the UK, the Befrienders Worldwide website has a tool to search by country for emotional support helplines around the world.
Urgent mental health helpline
England
If you live in England, you can call a local NHS urgent mental health helpline for support during a mental health crisis. Anyone can call these helplines, at any time.
These helplines offer similar support to a crisis team. The NHS website has more information on urgent mental health helplines, including how to find your local helpline.
