Mental Health Resources
If you feel like you or someone you know is in immediate/eminent danger, you should call 911 (or your country's local emergency line). Explain that it is a psychiatric/medical emergency and ask for someone who is trained for these kinds of situations.
These hotlines also serve friends, family members and loved ones of someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis, domestic violence, abuse, addiction and many other issues.
Even if someone at a crisis hotline cannot help you with your specific needs, they can point you to the right resources that can. No one will ever make you feel bad for trying to get help, and no concern is too trivial or small. If it feels hard for you to manage, it's worth reaching out.
NATIONAL AND LOCAL HOTLINES
Getting help for any kind of mental health or domestic issue can feel hard. Calling a hotline can be intimidating, and often it can feel tough to justify that what you're going through is "serious enough" to reach out.
The process has gotten easier though -- now there are many hotlines that let you text or chat with someone, without ever placing a call. Not only does that remove some of the intimidation of talking on the phone, it also means you can have a discrete conversation if you want or need to.
MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE HOTLINES
These two services specialize in helping individuals (and their friends, family and loved ones) who are having suicidal thoughts. That said, both services can provide support for other mental health issues.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline fields calls 24/7 for anyone with suicidal thoughts or who are in crisis. They offer help for Spanish-speakers and anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing. Their website also offers many resources to get help for yourself or someone you know.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline:1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text Hello to 741741
CRISIS HOTLINES FOR KIDS AND TEENS
These two services are aimed at different audiences. YouthLine is available for kids and young adults who want to talk to someone about what's happening in their lives, while ChildHelp tackles issues of child abuse.
YouthLine - Call 1-877-968-8491, Text teen2teen to 839863, Email teen2teen@linesforlife.org
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline - Call 24/7 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453
