Get help now

You might need urgent help for your mental health for different reasons. 

You could be very worried about thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or be experiencing mania or psychosis.

You may have seriously harmed yourself or feel like others are at risk. 

There are these different options for urgent help and support:

• Go to the accident and emergency (A&E) department at your local hospital
• Call 999
• Contact NHS 111 for urgent mental health support. You can call NHS 111 or visit their website.  You will need to answer some questions. They will refer you to an appropriate service or tell you what to do next.
• Contact your local NHS mental health team, if you are already being treated by them. You should have a care plan, that says who to contact if you need urgent help.
• Ask your GP for an emergency appointment. They can make a referral to the local NHS crisis team if necessary.
• Emotional support lines, like the Samaritans - see ‘I want to talk to someone’ below for more options.

 Also, it might help to read our advice and information on:

• Self-harm, and
• Suicidal thoughts - How to cope.

It can help to talk about how you feel. You can talk to trusted people in your life. But there are also helplines you can call who will listen to you without judging you.

Sharing your problems can be helpful to manage your feelings. Often people on helplines will have their own experiences of mental health issues.

Some emotional support lines to try are: 

Samaritans
A charity that offers emotional support for people who are distressed. Local branches offer telephone support and sometimes face to face support. The Samaritans helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Phone: 116 123
Address: Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Website: www.samaritans.org

ASSISTline
National helpline offering supportive listening service to anyone throughout the UK with thoughts of suicide or thoughts of self-harm. 

Phone: 0800 689 5652
Website: www.spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline-uk

PAPYRUS
Charity that offers emotional support to people under 35 who are suicidal. They can also support people who are concerned about someone under 35 who might be suicidal.

Phone: 0800 068 41 41
Text: 88247
Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
Website: www.papyrus-uk.org

C.A.L.M. (Campaign Against Living Miserably) 
CALM is leading a movement against suicide. They offer accredited confidential, anonymous and free support, information and signposting. The provide this to people anywhere in the UK through their helpline and webchat service.

Phone: 0800 58 58 58
Webchat: www.thecalmzone.net/feeling-suicidal 
Website: www.thecalmzone.net

Sane
Work with anyone affected by mental illness, including families, friends and carers. 

Phone: 0300 304 7000
Textcare: www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/support/textcare
Website: www.sane.org.uk

SupportLine
Support line offers confidential emotional support by telephone, email and post.

Phone: 01708 765200
Email: info@supportline.org.uk
Website: www.supportline.org.uk

The Mix 
If you’re under 25 and need help but don’t know where to turn, call the Mix for free. They’ll explore your situation with you and find organisations that may be able to help you further.

Phone Counselling: www.themix.org.uk/get-support/speak-to-our-team/the-mix-counselling-service
Webchat: 1 to 1 chat service: www.themix.org.uk/get-support/speak-to-our-team
Website: www.themix.org.uk

Mood Swings
Aimed at anyone affected by a mood disorder, including friends, families, and carers.

Phone: 0161 832 37 36
Email: info@moodswings.org.uk
Website: www.moodswings.org.uk

How can I find local crisis services?

Local mental health crisis services are provided in some areas by the NHS and other providers, such as charities. These local services can include:

• crisis houses that provide short-term accommodation for people experiencing a mental health crisis,
• crisis cafés that provide a safe, welcoming place where people can go if they are feeling emotionally distressed or are in a mental health crisis, and
• crisis helplines that provide emotional and sometimes practical support.

You can search on the internet for these services or ask NHS 111.

What are peer support groups?

In peer support groups people who have similar experiences get together to help each other.

Getting peer support can make you feel understood, supported and give you hope for the future.

We have over 140 peer support groups across England. You can search for them here.

You can also search for local peer support groups below:

• Local Minds 
• Hub of Hope 
• Bipolar UK for people who live with bipolar disorder: 
• Andy’s Man Club for men
• Men’s Sheds Association for men

Some NHS services also run peer support groups. To find out if the NHS run any peer support groups in your area you can:

• search on the internet using a search term like ‘NHS [the area where you live] mental health peer support group’
• ask staff at your GP practice
• ask staff at your NHS mental health team, if you are with one
• ask your local NHS Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) service
• call NHS 111 and ask

What are Rethink Mental Illness’ community support services?

Community support services give people affected by mental illness help to:

• build their confidence,
• stay in or return to work, and
• take part in social activities they enjoy.

You can search for them here. 

Other charities may run community support services within your area.

How else can I find local services?

You can:

• search on Hub of Hope website using your postcode
• contact your local council
• search Local Minds 
• see a social prescribing link worker.

There these online peer support services:

• Side by Side
• Clic
• 7 Cups
• Mentell for adult men
• Together All

You might know someone who is 18 or over, lives in England and is experiencing a mental health crisis.  They might need urgent help and support.

You can read our advice and information on Getting help for someone in a mental health crisis.

Also, you might find our following advice and information useful:

• Suicidal thoughts - How to support someone
• Responding to unusual behaviour linked to mental illness
• Supporting someone with a mental illness
• Worried about someone's mental health?