Home / Crisis resources
Crisis resources
You do not need an appointment, a diagnosis, or the right words. Pick whichever way of reaching out feels easiest. These services are free, confidential, and answer around the clock.
In immediate danger? Call 911.
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. The chat works over Wi-Fi if calling is hard.
Crisis Text Line. Text HOME to 741741 to reach a live counselor by message, or chat online at crisistextline.org.
NAMI HelpLine, for information, support, and someone who understands mental illness from the inside. nami.org.
The Trevor Project, for LGBTQIA+ young people: call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat online at thetrevorproject.org.
Veterans Crisis Line: call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. You do not need to be enrolled in VA care.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. If any number on this page ever fails, 911 always works.
Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste. Then breathe slowly for sixty seconds. This practice is not an emergency service, and reaching out to any of the lines above is a strong move, not a setback.
Stay with them, in person or on the line. Ask directly whether they are thinking about suicide; asking does not plant the idea, and a direct question opens the door to an honest answer. If the danger is immediate, call 911 together. If it is not, call or text 988 together and let the counselor help you both decide the next step. You do not need the perfect words. Presence and one phone call are most of the job.
A crisis line steadies the night; it does not have to be the end of the care. When things are calmer, ongoing treatment can start with a regular appointment, and you do not need to be an existing patient, or to have the story polished, to book one. Plenty of good care begins exactly where you are now.
