Serious injury, an overdose, or you cannot keep someone safe. Ambulance crews attend mental health emergencies. You are not wasting anyone's time.
Free, 24 hours a day, across England. You'll reach mental health staff who can assess what's needed and connect you to your local crisis team.
Samaritans. Free, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You don't have to be suicidal to call, and you don't need to explain yourself first.
Free, 24 hours a day, anywhere in the UK. A text conversation with a trained volunteer. Useful if you can't talk, or can't be overheard.
If you're supporting someone else
Stay with them if you safely can. Take away the immediate means of harm if that's possible without putting yourself at risk. Then make one of the calls above — you can ring 111 or Samaritans about someone else, and you do not need their permission to ask for advice about how to help them.
You do not have to have the right words. Staying, and calling, is the intervention.
Do not promise to keep it secret. It's the instinctive thing to say and it puts you in an impossible position. You can say, honestly: "I'm not going to tell everyone, but if I think you're in danger I will get help, because I'm not willing to lose you."
Every service, in one place
All of these are free to call. Numbers and hours were checked on the date at the bottom of this page.
| Service | Contact | When | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samaritans | 116 123 | Free, 24 hours a day, every day | Anyone who needs to talk, about anything |
| Shout | Text SHOUT to 85258 | Free, 24 hours a day | Anyone in the UK, any age — text rather than talk |
| Papyrus HOPELINE247 | 0300 102 2470 Text HOPE to 88247 | 24 hours a day | Anyone under 35 with thoughts of suicide, and people worried about them |
| Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) | 0800 58 58 58 | 5pm to midnight, every day | Anyone over 18 affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts |
| National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK | 0800 587 0800 | 6pm to midnight, every day | Anyone struggling with suicidal feelings |
| SANEline | 0300 304 7000 | 4pm to 10pm, every day | Anyone affected by mental illness, including family and friends |
| Mind Support Line | 0300 102 1234 | 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday | Information about services, treatment and rights — not a crisis line |
| Childline | 0800 1111 | 24 hours a day | Under-19s. The number does not appear on the phone bill |
| YoungMinds Parents Helpline | 0808 802 5544 | 9.30am–4pm Mon, Thu, Fri; 9.30am–6pm Tue, Wed | Parents and carers of anyone aged 25 or under. Not a crisis line |
| Cruse Bereavement Support | 0808 808 1677 | See website for current hours | Anyone grieving a death |
| Switchboard | 0800 0119 100 | 10am to 10pm, every day | Anyone exploring sexuality or gender identity |
| C.A.L.L. (Wales) | 0800 132 737 | 24 hours a day | Anyone in Wales |
| Breathing Space (Scotland) | 0800 83 85 87 | 24 hours at weekends; 6pm–2am Mon–Thu | Anyone over 16 in Scotland |
What actually happens when you call
People hesitate because they don't know what they're setting in motion. So, plainly:
Helplines — Samaritans, Shout and the others — listen. They don't diagnose, they don't send anyone round, and in the ordinary course they don't pass your details on. They are there to be talked to.
111, mental health option puts you through to mental health staff. They will ask what's happening, how long it's been going on, and whether anyone is at immediate risk. Depending on the answers they may give advice, arrange a call back from the local crisis team, or direct you somewhere specific.
999 and A&E are for immediate danger to life. The great majority of mental health emergencies are dealt with and the person goes home. Being detained under the Mental Health Act is uncommon, it is a last resort when someone cannot be kept safe any other way, and it is a decision made by more than one professional.
I'm not going to tell you that confidentiality is absolute, because it isn't, and you'd be right not to believe me. What's true is that these services exist to help, that the bar for anything happening against someone's wishes is high, and that far more harm is done by not calling than by calling.
Not urgent, but not fine either?
If nobody is in danger today but something is clearly wrong, the crisis route isn't the right one. Start with how to get help, which walks through the ordinary path — GP, talking therapies, referrals — and what to expect at each step.
Last reviewed: 18 August 2026. Next review due: February 2027.
Written by Dereck Tafuma, Registered Mental Health Nurse (NMC PIN held) and qualified teacher. Contact details and services change — if you find something out of date on this page, please tell me and I'll correct it.
Crisis contact details are re-checked against the NHS, Samaritans, Mind and each named charity every six months.
This page is general information for the public. It is not personal medical advice and it cannot take the place of an assessment by someone who can actually see you. Nothing here is written on behalf of any employer.