When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, it can be difficult to know what to do or say. You may feel worried, overwhelmed, or unsure whether the situation is serious enough to call for help.
You do not have to figure everything out alone. We provide 24/7 crisis intervention with support available by phone, text, or mobile response.
24/7 Crisis Hotline: (877) 333-2470
24/7 Crisis Textline: (877) 565-7744
If there is immediate danger or a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is also available nationwide by call or text.
What Is a Mental Health Crisis?
A crisis can look different from person to person. Someone may need immediate support if they are:
- Talking about suicide, self-harm, or not wanting to live
- Feeling unable to stay safe
- Experiencing overwhelming emotional distress
- Feeling out of control or disconnected from reality
- Experiencing a severe mental health or substance use emergency
- Unable to manage basic needs or daily responsibilities
- Facing a situation that feels unsafe or impossible to handle alone
You do not need to diagnose what is happening before reaching out. If you are concerned about someone's safety, that is reason enough to ask for support.
What Happens When You Reach Out?
Contacting a crisis service is a first step toward support, not a commitment to any particular treatment plan.
When you contact us, our crisis staff may listen to what is happening, ask questions to understand the immediate concern, and help determine what support is needed. That can include talking through immediate safety concerns, creating a safety plan, providing crisis stabilization, connecting you with community resources, offering referrals for additional care, and coordinating mobile support/walk-in services when appropriate.
Our crisis services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
You do not need to have the perfect words. You can simply explain what you are seeing, what has changed, and why you are concerned.
How Can I Support Someone I Love?
When someone is in crisis, your role is not to solve every problem. Your calm presence and your willingness to help them connect with support can make a meaningful difference.
You can:
- Stay with the person if it is safe to do so
- Listen without judgment or criticism
- Speak calmly and use simple, direct language
- Ask what they need right now
- Encourage them to contact crisis support
- Involve a trusted family member, friend, or professional
- Take any statement about suicide or self-harm seriously
Avoid promising to keep a safety concern secret. If you believe someone may be in immediate danger, seek emergency help even if they ask you not to.
You also deserve support. Helping someone through a crisis can be emotionally exhausting, and it is entirely appropriate to contact a crisis service for guidance about what to do next, even when the concern is not about you.
What Should I Say When I Call?
You can start with something as simple as:
"I'm worried about myself and need help staying safe."
Or:
"I'm calling because I'm concerned about someone I love, and I'm not sure what to do."
It may help to share where you or the other person are located, what has happened, what you have observed, whether anyone is in immediate danger, and what support has already been tried.
You do not need to prepare a detailed explanation. Our crisis team will ask questions and guide the conversation from there.
Help Is Available Before Things Get Worse
Nobody has to wait until a situation becomes an emergency to ask for guidance. Reaching out early can help someone understand their options and connect with the right support sooner.
Alongside crisis intervention, we offer counseling and behavioral health services in person and through telehealth, including support for mental health concerns, alcohol and substance use, gambling concerns, and the needs of affected family members.
We Are Here
We have served this community for more than 50 years, beginning as a volunteer crisis hotline in 1972. Our team remains available to help people find hope, courage, and a next step forward.
If you or someone you love is in crisis, reach us any hour of any day.
24/7 Crisis Hotline: (877) 333-2470
24/7 Crisis Textline: (877) 565-7744
If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
You do not have to face a crisis alone.