You may want to talk to someone, seek medical advice, or want urgent help, regarding your mental health. Here you will find resources that are available to you. Always seek medical advice from a qualified professional.
In an emergency
Urgent support
Need to talk
Outside the UK
In an emergency
If you need immediate medical help, please attend your local Accident & Emergency service. This includes if you are concerned you may act on suicidal thoughts, or you have harmed yourself and need immediate medical attention.
✆ In an emergency dial 999 (in the UK)
NHS advice on urgent and emergency care services
Urgent support
If you require urgent medical or mental health support, but feel you can stay safe until seen by a professional, ring your GP surgery for an urgent appointment.
If you call your GP surgery out-of-hours, they may redirect you to an out-of-hours service.
✆ For urgent medical advice, dial 111 for the NHS 111 service (except in an emergency, in which case dial 999)
In England you can look for a local NHS Mental Health Helpline for urgent help. This can help with advice, support, and direction towards further care. If you can’t get through, it’s best to call the NHS 111 service.
Need to talk
It can help to talk to a listening service if there’s something on your mind. These services are here for you, so please don’t hesitate to use them.
Please remember that not all of the following lines are open 24-hours a day, and some may be busy at peak times. If at any point you feel you need to be seen urgently or in an emergency, please refer to the options above. When using these lines, if you have any concerns about confidentiality, phone charges, or need a translator, you can ask about these things when you first get through.
Samaritans
“Talk to us any time you like, in your own way, and off the record – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal.”
✆ 116 123 (freephone) – Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Email (response time 24 hours)
Shout
Support over text message. “Our trained volunteers are there for you 24/7 to listen and support you to get to a calmer and safe place. Shout is a free, confidential, anonymous service for anyone in the UK. It won’t appear on your phone bill.”
Text SHOUT to 85258 – Open 24/7.
CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)
CALM offers support specifically to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis. Open every day of the year from 5pm to midnight.
✆ 0800 58 58 58 – Open every day of the year from 5pm to midnight
Webchat – Open every day of the year from 5pm to midnight
Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline
A listening service providing information and support for lesbians, gay men and bisexual and trans people, and anyone considering issues around their sexuality and/or gender identity. “Available to help you through whatever you want to talk about – nothing is off limits.”
✆ 0300 330 0630 – Available daily from 10am – 10pm
Email (response time 72 hours)
Webchat available from website during opening hours
ChildLine
Service for children and young people up to the age of 19. “If you are worried about anything, it could be something big or something small – don’t bottle it up. It can really help if you talk to someone. If there is something on your mind, ChildLine is here for you.”
✆ 0800 1111 – Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year
Webchat and email options
Outside the UK
Help is available for people outside the UK. This might be you, or perhaps you’ve come across someone online who you want to direct to appropriate resources.
Emergency support: Regardless of country, if you need immediate medical help, please attend your local Accident & Emergency service.
Urgent support: Regardless of country, if you need urgent medical or mental health support, but feel you can stay safe until seen by a professional, please contact your local healthcare provider for advice.
International helpline directories:
Befrienders Worldwide
This resource provides a directory of helplines and support centres, according to country. Where a helpline is not available in a particular country, there is still a list of resources that may be of help internationally.
International Association for Suicide Prevention
“We’ve collated over 1,600 services across the world that offer immediate emotional support, and made them easily available to you. We work directly with helplines to ensure our data remains accurate and reliable.”
Gaming the Mind 