We are finding ourselves in uncertain times sometimes just knowing where we can go to ask for help can be so reassuring .
Helplines, crisis lines, and suicide hotlines allow you to communicate in your way and in your time. They help you to take charge and offer a channel that can free you to discuss matters that you might find too risky to share face to face.
Helplines, crisis lines, and suicide hotlines have three things in common:
1) they are often available to call 24 hours a day, seven days a week
2) they don’t cost you anything
3) they are confidential
If you find your self in a challenging emotional situation and need to speak to a trained counsellor, calling a helpline, crisis line, and or a suicide hotline offers a great way to be heard and get sound advice. You are not alone.
Below is a list of helplines, crisis lines, and suicide hotlines in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Please choose one and call the appropriate number. The person who answers is likely to be able to guide you to the right place if they cant help.
Crisis/Suicide/Helplines: United Kingdom & Ireland
Samaritans UK & Ireland
Samaritans UK & Ireland offer 24-hour emotional support to
anyone in distress or at risk of suicide throughout the UK & Ireland. They
have 201 branches open 365 days a year, where people can also talk in person.
Tel: 116 123
Connect Counselling
Connect offers a free telephone counselling and support service for any adult who has experienced abuse, trauma or neglect in childhood. Their service is available from 6-10 pm, Wednesday to Sunday.
Tel: 1800 477 477 (Ireland)
Tel: 00800 477 477 77 ( UK and Northern Ireland)
Tel: 00353 (0) 1 865 7495 ( Outside ROI and UK)
Calm
Campaign Against Living Miserably Help and support for young men
aged 15-35 on issues which include depression and suicide.
Tel: 0800 585858
HopeLine UK
For practical advice on suicide prevention
Tel: 0800 068 4141
Lifeline (N.Ireland)
For anyone in N.Ireland who is in distress or despair. Immediate
help on phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Face to face counselling can be
arranged, also befriending, mentoring. Issues dealt with include suicide
prevention, self-harm, abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety.
Tel: 0808 808 8000
Premier Lifeline
Helpline providing a listening service, information, emotional
and spiritual support from a Christian perspectiveHelpline providing a
listening service, information, emotional and spiritual support from a
Christian perspective
Tel: 0300 111 0101
Breathing Space
Breathing Space provides emotional support and assistance to
people in Scotland who are depressed, in crisis or at risk of suicide. They are
operating from 6 pm to 2 am.
Tel: 0800 83 85 87
Scotland’s domestic abuse and forced marriage helpline
Scotland’s domestic abuse and forced marriage helpline is open
24 hours a day to help and give emotional support to anyone with experience of
domestic abuse or forced marriage.
Tel: 0800 027 1234
Anxiety UK
Anxiety UK provides information and support to people in the UK who have have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. They are open every Monday to Friday, from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm.
Tel: 03444 775 774
Bipolar UK
Bipolar UK provides 24-hour information and support to people in the UK who are living with manic depression or bipolar disorder.
Tel: 0333 323 3880
Mind
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone in the UK who are experiencing a mental health problem. Their lines are open 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday.
Tel: 0300 123 3393
No Panic
No Panic offers support and services over the telephone to people in the UK who suffer from Panic Attacks, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders and other related anxiety disorders including those people who are trying to give up Tranquillisers. Their line is available from 10 am to 10 pm every day of the year. After 10:00 pm their number plays a recording of a Breathing and Relaxation Technique.
Tel: 0844 967 4848
OCD Action
OCD Action provides support and information for people in the UK with OCD, carers and anyone who is concerned that they, or their friends or relatives, may have OCD or a related disorder. The Helpline is open from 9.30 am until 5.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Tel: 0845 390 6232, 44 20 7253 5272
SANE
SANE provides emotional support, guidance and information to anyone in the UK who are affected by mental illness, including families, friends and carers. They are open from 10 am to 10 pm, Monday – Friday.
Tel: 0300 304 7000
Childline
Childline offers 24-hour free, private and confidential service to children and parents throughout the UK. Whatever your worry, whenever you need help, they can help you anytime.
Tel: 0800 1111
Refuge
Refuge offers 24-hour services and support to women and children in the UK who are experiencing domestic abuse.
Tel: 0808 2000 247
NSPCC
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children offers 24-hour help and support to children in the UK who are experiencing abuse or neglect.
Tel: 0808 800 5000
National Gambling Helpline
National Gambling Helpline offers 24-hour free and confidential support, information and advice on problem gambling to people in the UK, either via telephone or online.
Tel: 0808 8020 133
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous offers support and advice to people in the UK who have a drug problem. The NA Helpline is open until midnight, seven days a week.
Tel: 0300 999 1212
National Dementia Helpline
National Dementia Helpline provides information, advice and emotional support to anyone in the UK affected by dementia. They are open seven days a week from 9 am–5 pm.
Tel: 0300 222 11 22
Cruse Bereavement Care
Cruse Bereavement Care offering a listening ear and emotional support to anyone in the UK who has lost someone they love or been affected by a bereavement. The helpline is open Monday-Friday 9:30 am -5:00 pm.
Tel: 0808 808 1677
Rape Crisis
Rape Crisis National Helpline offers confidential emotional support, information and referral details to women and girls in the UK who have experienced sexual violence. Open between 12:00 -14:30 and
19:00 – 21:30 every day of the year.
Tel: 0808 802 9999
Victim Support
Victim Support provides 24-hour confidential support and information to people in England and Wales who have been affected by crime.
Tel: 0808 168 9111
Beat
Beat offers support to people in the UK who have or are worried they have an eating disorder, as well as others, affected such as friends and family members. Beat’s support services are open 365 days a year, 12-8 pm Monday to Friday and 4-8 pm Saturday, Sunday.
Tel: 0808 801 0677 (adult), 0808 801 0711 (for under-18s)
Mencap
Mencap offers support and services to people in the UK who have learning disabilities. They are open from 9 am to 3 pm.
Tel: 0808 808 1111
Family Lives
Family Lives offers a confidential and free helpline service for families in England and Wales. Their helpline service is open 9 am – 9 pm every Monday to Friday and 10 am – 3 pm every Saturday and Sunday.
Tel: 0808 800 2222
Mental Health Matters Helpline
Mental Health Matters Helpline offers 24-hour emotional support to people in Hertfordshire, Coventry & Warwickshire, Stafford, Midlands & East Veterans, Midlands & East Veterans Service, Leicestershire & Rutland Recovery Service and Plymouth who are in distress or at risk of suicide.
Tel: 0800 052 0658(Hertfordshire)
Tel: 0800 616 171 (Coventry & Warwickshire)
Tel: 0800 0130 626 (Stafford)
Tel: 0300 323 0139 (Midlands & East Veterans Service)
Tel: 0300 323 0187 (Leicestershire & Rutland Recovery Service)
Tel: 0300 323 0101 (Plymouth)
Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service – Connect Helpline
Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service – Connect Helpline provides emotional support and information for people living in Leeds who are in crisis, anxious, depressed or lonely. They are open from 6 pm-2 am every night of the year.
Tel: 0808 800 1212
MindLine
MindLine offers a free listening service to anyone in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bromley, Lewisham, Greenwich, Cumbria, South Devon, Torbay, Somerset, and Central Norfolk who needs to talk about emotional or mental health distress including anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-injury, suicidal feelings, trauma, loss or concern for a family member or friend.
Tel: 0808 808 0330 (Bristol Mind – Wednesday-Sunday from 8 pm-12 midnight)
Tel: 020 8853 1735 (Bromley, Lewisham & Greenwich Mind – Monday-Friday 10.30 am – 4.30 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays 6 pm – 9 pm)
Tel: 0300 561 0000 (Mindline Cumbria – Monday – Friday 12pm – 11pm and Saturday-Sunday 5pm – 11pm)
Tel: 0300 330 5464 (Mindline South Devon and Torbay – Tuesday – Sunday from 8 pm-11 pm)
Tel: 01823 276892 (Mindline Somerset – Tuesday – Sunday from 8 pm-11 pm)
Tel: 0808 802 0288 (Norwich & Central Norfolk Mind – Monday to Thursday from 2 pm to midnight and every Friday from 2 pm to midnight Sunday)
Oxford Nightline
Oxford Nightline provides support and information service for and by students of Oxford and Oxford Brookes universities. They are open from 8 pm-8 am, 0th week to 9th week during Oxford term time.
Tel: 01865 270270
Rethink Mental Illness
Rethink Mental Illness – provides telephone support service for anyone affected by mental health issues.
Tel: 0808 801 0442 (Doncaster – 24/7)
Tel: 0808 801 0358 (Doncaster Bassetlaw – 24/7)
Tel: 0808 802 2288 (Dudley – Monday to Friday from 6 pm-1 am and every Saturday, Sunday 2 pm-1 am)
Tel: 0808 801 0606 / 07537 410022 (Gloucestershire – Monday to Sunday from 5 pm to 10 pm)
Tel: 0808 800 1010 (North East Lincolnshire – Monday-Friday, 5 pm-9 am)
Tel: 0808 800 2073 (Sahayak – languages available: Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindu, and Urdu or English. Monday, Wednesday 4 pm-7 pm and Tuesday, Thursday 12noon-3pm.)
Tel: 0808 801 0440 (Sheffield – 24/7)
Rural Support
Rural Support provides a listening and signposting service for farmers and farming families across Northern Ireland through its helpline. The Helpline can provide information and advice on mental health assistance and many other issues. All calls are confidential and the helpline operates from 8 am – 11 pm, Monday to Friday.
Tel: 0800 138 1678
Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline – Brighter Futures
Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline offers support for people in Staffordshire who are feeling worried, stressed or low or are concerned about someone they know. They are open Monday to Friday, 7 pm-2 am and Saturday, Sunday 2 pm-2 am.
Tel: 0808 800 2234
Turning Point
Turning Point offers 24-hour support to members of the public in Leicestershire during a crisis.
Tel: 0808 800 3302
Self-injury Support
Self-injury Support offers emotional support, listening and signposting for women affected by self-injury. They are open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7 pm – 9.30 pm.
Tel: 0808 800 8088
SupportLine
SupportLine offers emotional support, advice, and information particularly for people in the UK who are socially isolated, vulnerable, at-risk or experiencing any form of abuse. They are open every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 5 pm-7.30 pm.
Tel: 01708 765200
YoungMinds – Parents Helpline
YoungMinds – Parents Helpline offers confidential online and telephone support including information and advice, to people in the UK who are worried about the emotional problems, behaviour or mental health of a child or young person. they are open Monday to Friday, 9.30 am-4 pm.
Tel: 0808 802 5544
Edinburgh Crisis Centre
Edinburgh Crisis Centre offers 24-hour support to people in Edinburgh, Scotland who are dealing with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, self-harm, suicide, hearing voices.
Tel: 0808 801 0414
Mental Health Helpline For Wales
Mental Health Helpline For Wales offers 24-hour emotional support and information/literature on Mental Health and related matters to the people of Wales.
Tel: 0800 132 737