Help is available right now.

Talk with a crisis counselor

United States

Call or text 988, or use the 988 Lifeline chat. The official U.S. 988 Lifeline describes its service as free, confidential, and judgment-free. A trained counselor will ask about your safety, listen, and help you identify support.

Canada

Call or text 9-8-8 at any time. Canada’s official 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline is available 24 hours a day, every day, for people thinking about suicide and people worried about someone else.

Outside the United States or Canada

Use the IASP / Find a Helpline directory to locate a current crisis line in your country. If your safety is at immediate risk, call your local emergency number.

Create safety for the next few minutes

1. Move toward people. Go to a shared or public space, or ask someone you trust to stay with you.
2. Put distance between you and danger. Ask another person to secure or remove firearms, medications, or other items you could use to hurt yourself.
3. Tell one person plainly. You can say, “I am having thoughts of suicide and I need you to stay with me while we get help.”
4. Contact crisis support. Call or text 988 in the U.S. or Canada, or use a local crisis line elsewhere.
5. Delay irreversible action. Focus only on getting through the next ten minutes, then the ten minutes after that. Avoid alcohol or drugs while you seek help.

If starting the conversation feels hard

You do not need perfect words. A direct sentence is enough.

When the immediate danger has eased

Ask a mental health professional or crisis counselor to help you build a personalized safety plan. A safety plan lists your warning signs, coping strategies, people and places that can help, professional contacts, and steps to reduce access to lethal means.