Urgent support
If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now.
If you need help urgently for your mental health, but it's not an emergency, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option, or contact one of the organisations below to get support straight away.
Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone's time.
Get urgent support
If it's an emergency or you need urgent help
- if you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now
- if you need help urgently for your mental health, but it's not an emergency, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option (people with hearing problems can use the NHS 111 British Sign Language (BSL) service)
Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone's time.
Free, non-urgent NHS talking therapies (psychological therapies)
If you live in England and are registered with a GP, in most areas you can refer yourself for free, non-urgent NHS talking therapies.
These are effective and confidential treatments delivered by fully trained and accredited NHS practitioners. They can help with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression.
Phone, text and online support
Free 24-hour listening and text support
Samaritans
When life is tough, Samaritans are here to listen at any time of the day or night. You can talk to them about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:
Shout 85258
Shout 85258 offers confidential 24/7 crisis text support for times when you need immediate assistance:
- text "SHOUT" to 85258
- visit Shout Crisis Text Line
Crisis support for young people
Papyrus
If you're under 35 and feel that life is not worth living any more, Papyrus's HOPELINE247 is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year:
- call HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 41 41
- text 07786 209697
- visit the Papyrus website
Childline
If you're under 19, you can also speak to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill:
CALM
CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for people in the UK who are down or have hit a wall for any reason:
- call 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
- free, anonymous webchat with trained CALM staff
- visit the CALM website
Hub of Hope
No matter what you're going through, you should not have to do it alone. The Hub of Hope is a national database that brings together local mental health services.
When to get help from your GP
It's important to seek help from your GP immediately if you are experiencing the following symptoms for the first time or are not already receiving care from mental health services:
- hallucinations – hearing or seeing things that are not there (for example, hearing voices); this can also include feeling, smelling or tasting things that are not there
- delusions – having strong beliefs that are not shared by others (for example, believing there is a conspiracy against you)
These are symptoms of psychosis and it's important to get treated as soon as possible, as early treatment is more effective.
If you do not require urgent support but are still concerned about your mental health, contacting your GP is a good place to start.