988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988, or use online chat, for free and confidential support from a crisis counselor.
Support map
Find the right level of support.
Choose a verified service for where you are now. Yourself does not operate a crisis line or emergency service.
Immediate danger
If you may act on thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, call the emergency number where you are or go to the nearest emergency department now. If you can, move away from anything you could use to cause harm and involve someone you trust.
Crisis and emotional support
Verified places to reach a person.
Availability, privacy practices, and emergency-response policies vary by service. Use the option for your location.
9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline
Call or text 9-8-8 for 24/7 suicide-crisis support in English or French.
Find A Helpline
Browse country-specific emotional-support services whose details are maintained with participating helpline organizations.
When it is urgent but not immediately life-threatening
Contact a local crisis service, urgent mental-health clinic, primary-care service, or someone you trust. Say plainly what is happening and whether you can stay safe. Avoid being alone if that makes the situation less safe.
When symptoms persist or disrupt daily life
Arrange an assessment with a qualified health or mental-health professional. Bring notes about duration, sleep, medication or substance changes, physical symptoms, safety concerns, and impact on work, study, caregiving, or relationships.
Prepare a care searchIf you are worried about someone else
Ask directly whether they are thinking about suicide or immediate harm. Listen without judgment, stay with them when danger may be imminent, and involve local emergency or crisis support. Do not promise to keep an immediate safety risk secret.
Match the response to the level of risk and disruption.
| Situation | Useful first response | Do not rely on |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger or inability to stay safe | Emergency services, emergency department, or a verified crisis service now | Email, an online quiz, or waiting for a routine appointment |
| Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms | Urgent clinical or crisis assessment and support from a trusted person | Managing alone because the cause is uncertain |
| Persistent disruption | Qualified evaluation plus practical support for sleep, work, care, or access | Endless self-monitoring without a care plan |
| Manageable concern or early change | Track patterns, use low-risk support, and arrange care if it persists or worsens | Assuming mild symptoms can never become serious |
Make it easier to say what is happening.
You do not need a polished explanation. A few direct details can help another person understand the urgency and choose the next response.
Name the immediate concern
Say whether there are thoughts of suicide or harm, a plan or access to means, recent actions, severe physical symptoms, abuse, intoxication, confusion, or an inability to stay safe.
Describe the current setting
Share the person’s location, whether they are alone, whether a trusted person can stay, and any access, language, disability, transport, or childcare need affecting help.
Keep the next instruction
Write down whom you contacted, the advice given, where to go, what to bring, and what to do if the situation changes while waiting.
Supporting someone else
Listen directly, ask about immediate safety, and involve appropriate help. Do not take sole responsibility for managing imminent danger, and do not promise secrecy when someone may be harmed.
Resource verification
Checked August 19, 2026. Service details can change; confirm availability on the service’s own site.
Use education only after immediate safety is addressed.
For persistent but non-emergency symptoms, compare professional and community care pathways and include physical-health evaluation where symptoms may have medical contributors.
To prepare provider requirements without sending health details to this site, use the private care-search workspace.
When the concern is manageable and you need language for a pattern, the educational guide library can support reflection but should not delay urgent or individualized care.