Help and resources

Need to talk right now?

Free crisis lines you can call, text or chat with right now, day or night, in the U.S. and around the world, and what happens when you reach out.

Do this first

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 in the U.S., or your local emergency number. If you are not in immediate danger but need to talk now, call or text 988 in the U.S. or Canada.

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    For anyone in emotional distress or thinking about suicide, or worried about someone. Free, confidential, any time.

    Help is also available in Spanish by phone, text and chat (988lifeline.org/es).

  • Crisis Text Line

    Text with a trained volunteer crisis counselor, any time.

  • Veterans Crisis Line

    For veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve, and the people who care about them.

    You don't need to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care.

  • The Trevor Project

    For LGBTQ+ young people. Free, confidential, any time.

  • Emergency

    If someone is in immediate danger or has been hurt.

Outside the United States

You don't have to be suicidal to call a crisis line. Feeling alone, scared, overwhelmed or numb is reason enough. These lines are free and confidential, and the people who answer have heard it all before. You won't be judged, and you won't be a bother.

The 988 Lifeline (U.S.)

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is open 24 hours a day, every day.

Its own website lists loneliness, depression, relationship worries and substance use among the reasons people reach out.

What happens when you call or text

When you call, a short recorded message offers choices: press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, press 2 for Spanish, or stay on the line for a counselor near you. You may hear hold music for a while. Then a trained counselor says hello and asks if you are safe right now. After that, they listen, help you sort out what is going on, and share resources if you want them.

When you text, you get a few automatic messages first: you agree to the terms of service and answer a short survey. Then a counselor joins the chat, asks if you are safe, and listens.

It's fine to start with "I don't really know what to say" or "I just feel really alone tonight." The counselor will take it from there.

Spanish

Call 988 and press 2, text AYUDA to 988, or start a chat in Spanish.

Deaf and hard of hearing

  • ASL: call 988 from a videophone to reach a counselor who signs.
  • TTY: use your relay service, or dial 711 and then 988.
  • Text or chat: text 988 or use the online chat.

Other free lines in the U.S.

  • Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741, any time. For Spanish, text HOLA to 741741. Good if talking out loud is hard or you can't be overheard.
  • Veterans Crisis Line: for veterans, service members and their families. Dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255, or chat at veteranscrisisline.net (opens in a new tab).
  • The Trevor Project: for LGBTQ+ young people. Call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat at thetrevorproject.org (opens in a new tab). Open 24/7. TTY: 1-866-803-3699.
  • Trans Lifeline: peer support run by and for trans people, in the U.S. (877) 565-8860 and Canada (877) 330-6366. It is not open around the clock: it answers Monday to Friday, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific), and closes on some holidays. Check translifeline.org (opens in a new tab) for current hours.

If you are worried about someone else

You can call or text 988 yourself to talk about someone else. Counselors can help you work out what to say and what to do next.

  • If the person is in immediate danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number) and stay with them if it is safe for you.
  • Ask them directly: "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" Suicide prevention experts say asking does not put the idea in someone's head. It often brings relief.
  • Listen without arguing or lecturing. Help them contact a crisis line, and offer to sit with them while they do.
  • Remove or lock away things they could use to hurt themselves, if you can do it safely.

There is more on this in When someone you know is lonely.

Outside the U.S.

  • Canada: call or text 988, any time.
  • UK and Ireland: call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time.
  • Australia: call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14. In danger, call 000.
  • New Zealand: call or text 1737, any time. In danger, call 111.
  • Everywhere else: Find A Helpline (opens in a new tab) lists free, verified lines in more than 175 countries, by phone, text or chat. Befrienders Worldwide (opens in a new tab) has a "find your nearest centre" search for emotional support lines around the world.

See Help outside the U.S. for more lines by country.

If you're not in crisis but still want to talk

Maybe tonight isn't an emergency, but you'd still like to hear a kind voice. Crisis lines are fine for that. There are also warmlines and friendship lines made just for this. See Someone to talk to.

You reached this page. That took something. Whatever you're carrying right now, you don't have to carry it alone.

Sources

Last reviewed: October 9, 2026