Mental Health Crisis: UK Support Resources When You Need Urgent Help

If you're reading this in crisis — right now, this moment — please skip to the Immediate Crisis Contacts section below. Help is available. You don't have to do this alone.

If you're reading this to prepare, or to support someone else, this guide will walk you through what a mental health crisis looks like, what resources exist in the UK, and what actually happens when you reach out for urgent help.

Let's be clear about something: reaching out in a mental health crisis isn't weakness, dramatics, or attention-seeking. It's survival. It's courage.

If you're in crisis, you're not "overreacting." You're responding to genuine, overwhelming distress. And there are people whose job — whose calling — is to help you through this.

TL;DR — Immediate Crisis Contacts:

• 999 — life-threatening emergency, immediate suicide risk
• Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7) — someone to talk to, no judgement
• Shout: Text 85258 — crisis text support, 24/7
• NHS 111 (Option 2) — mental health crisis support and advice
• Papyrus (under 35): 0800 068 4141 — suicide prevention for young people
• Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHT) — via NHS 111 or GP out-of-hours

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What Is a Mental Health Crisis?

A mental health crisis is when you're experiencing such severe distress that you're struggling to function or keep yourself safe.

This might look like:

• Suicidal thoughts or plans: actively thinking about or planning to end your life
• Self-harm urges you can't resist: an overwhelming impulse to hurt yourself
• Severe panic or anxiety: debilitating fear, dissociation, or hyperventilation
• Psychotic symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, severe confusion about reality
• Complete inability to function: can't eat, sleep, care for yourself, or manage basic safety
• Overwhelming despair: feeling like you can't survive another hour, let alone another day

You don't need to be actively suicidal to qualify as a crisis. If you're in severe distress and don't know how to cope, that's enough.

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Immediate Crisis Contacts (UK)

1. Emergency Services: 999

When to call:

• You've taken an overdose or seriously harmed yourself
• You're about to attempt suicide
• Someone else is at immediate risk of serious harm
• You're experiencing severe psychosis and are unsafe
• You're unable to keep yourself safe right now

What happens: police and/or ambulance will attend. You'll be taken to A&E for assessment. This isn't criminalising mental health — it's getting you immediate medical and psychiatric support.

Important: police are trained in mental health response. They're there to keep you safe, not to judge or punish.

2. Samaritans: 116 123 (Free, 24/7)

When to call:

• You're struggling to cope
• You feel suicidal but aren't in immediate danger
• You need someone to talk to, no questions asked
• You're in distress and don't know what to do

What happens: a trained volunteer listens without judgement. They won't tell you what to do, give advice, or try to "fix" you. They'll listen, help you process, and stay with you through the worst moments.

You can call as many times as you need. You can hang up and call back. You can cry, rage, or sit in silence. There's no "right" way to use Samaritans.

Also available: email (jo@samaritans.org, response within 24 hours) and face-to-face at local branches.

3. Shout: Text 85258 (Free, 24/7)

When to use:

• You're in crisis but can't or don't want to talk on the phone
• You need immediate text-based support
• You're experiencing suicidal thoughts, self-harm urges, overwhelming anxiety, or severe distress

What happens: text SHOUT to 85258. You'll be connected to a trained crisis volunteer within minutes. They'll have a text conversation with you, help you move to a calmer state, and create a safety plan.

All texts are confidential. Standard network charges apply, but the service itself is free.

4. NHS 111 (Select Mental Health Option)

When to call:

• You're in mental health crisis but not in immediate danger
• You need advice on where to access urgent support
• It's out of hours and you can't reach your GP or crisis team
• You need assessment for a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team

What happens: you'll speak to a trained mental health professional. They'll assess your situation and direct you to appropriate services — a Crisis Resolution Team referral, an emergency GP appointment, signposting to crisis cafés or sanctuaries, or advice on managing until services open.

5. Papyrus HOPELineUK: 0800 068 4141

For under-35s experiencing suicidal thoughts.

When to call:

• You're under 35 and feeling suicidal
• You're worried about a young person who might be suicidal

Hours: 9am–midnight weekdays, 2pm–midnight weekends, 2pm–10pm bank holidays.

What happens: you'll speak to trained suicide prevention advisors who specialise in supporting young people. They can safety plan, listen, and signpost to additional support.

6. Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHT)

When to access:

• You're in severe mental health crisis
• You need intensive support to avoid hospital admission
• You're experiencing psychotic symptoms, severe mood disturbance, or overwhelming distress

How to access: via NHS 111, your GP out-of-hours service, or A&E. Some areas have direct CRHT contact numbers (search "[your area] crisis team" online).

What happens: CRHT provides intensive home-based support — daily visits, medication management, and crisis planning. They work to stabilise you at home rather than admitting you to hospital.

Availability varies by area. Not all regions have 24/7 CRHT access, but out-of-hours coverage is improving.

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Other Important Helplines

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When to Go to A&E

Go to A&E if:

• You've harmed yourself and need medical treatment
• You've taken an overdose (even if you feel fine — paracetamol, for example, causes delayed but serious damage)
• You're experiencing suicidal thoughts and don't feel safe
• You're having a severe mental health crisis and can't access crisis services
• You're experiencing psychosis and need immediate assessment

What happens at A&E:

1. Triage: you'll be assessed for medical and psychiatric risk.
2. Medical treatment: if you've harmed yourself, physical injuries are treated first.
3. Psychiatric liaison: a mental health nurse or psychiatrist will assess you.
4. Crisis planning: they'll discuss options — admission, crisis team referral, outpatient follow-up, or discharge with a safety plan.

Waiting times: A&E mental health assessment can involve long waits (several hours). Bring water, a phone charger, and someone supportive if possible.

Will you be forced to stay? Usually not. Most people are treated and discharged with follow-up support. Involuntary admission (sectioning) happens only if clinicians believe you're at immediate, serious risk and refuse voluntary admission.

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Crisis Cafés and Sanctuaries

Many areas now offer crisis cafés or mental health sanctuaries — calm, non-clinical spaces where you can access support without going to A&E.

What they offer:

• A safe environment during distress
• Non-judgemental listening
• De-escalation support
• Signposting to ongoing services
• Light refreshments and comfort

How to find them: search "[your area] crisis café" or "[your area] mental health sanctuary." NHS 111 can also direct you.

Hours: typically evenings and weekends (when other services are closed), but this varies by location.

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GP and Out-of-Hours Services

During GP hours: call your GP surgery and request an urgent same-day appointment for a mental health crisis. Receptionists are trained to prioritise mental health emergencies.

Out-of-hours: call NHS 111 or your GP surgery's out-of-hours number (often diverts to 111). You can access emergency GP appointments for mental health crises.

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What About Therapy in a Crisis?

Short answer: standard therapy appointments aren't designed for acute crisis management.

If you're in crisis:

• Your regular therapist may offer emergency phone support (check their policy)
• Private therapists often can't provide 24/7 crisis cover
• Crisis services (above) are specifically designed for this

However:

• Therapy helps prevent crises by building coping skills and addressing underlying issues
• After a crisis, therapy is crucial for understanding what led to it and preventing recurrence

If you're already in therapy and entering crisis, contact your therapist to discuss interim support and safety planning.

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Safety Planning: Preparing for Crisis Before It Hits

You can't always prevent crises, but you can prepare. Create a crisis plan when you're stable.

1. Warning Signs

List your personal early warning signs — the thoughts, feelings, or behaviours that tell you a crisis may be building (e.g., "I stop answering messages," "I can't sleep," "I start thinking everyone would be better off without me").

2. Coping Strategies

Write down what has helped in the past — grounding techniques, people to contact, activities that calm you, things that have interrupted a spiral before.

3. People to Contact

List specific people and services, in order of preference:

• A trusted friend or family member
• Your therapist
• Samaritans (116 123)
• Shout (text 85258)
• NHS 111

4. Professional Support

Include your GP surgery details, your therapist's contact information, and any crisis team numbers you've been given.

5. Making Your Environment Safe

Note any specific risks in your environment and how to reduce them — removing or securing medications, having someone stay with you, avoiding alcohol or drugs.

Keep your crisis plan somewhere accessible — in your phone, on the fridge, or shared with a trusted person.

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Supporting Someone Else in Crisis

If someone you know is in crisis:

• Stay calm: your calmness helps them regulate
• Listen without judgement: don't try to fix, minimise, or argue
• Ask directly: "Are you thinking about suicide?" Asking doesn't plant the idea — it opens the door
• Take them seriously: don't dismiss their feelings as dramatics
• Help them access support: offer to call Samaritans, NHS 111, or a crisis team with them
• Don't leave them alone if they're at immediate risk
• Look after yourself afterward — supporting someone in crisis is hard

If they're at immediate risk, call 999. If you're unsure, call NHS 111 for guidance.

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After a Crisis: The Path Back to Stability

A crisis is a signal, not a failure. Once the immediate danger has passed, the work is understanding what led to it and building the support that prevents the next one.

That work usually involves:

• A GP review to discuss ongoing support, medication if appropriate, and referral to NHS or secondary services
• Therapy to understand the underlying patterns, build coping skills, and process what happened
• Practical support — housing, finances, relationships — that may be contributing to distress
• A safety plan for the future, so you and the people around you know what to do if warning signs return

Mind a Porter connects you with 100+ UK-registered therapists across London for online therapy and in-person care, including therapists who specialise in trauma, crisis recovery, and the underlying issues that lead to crisis — anxiety counselling, depression counselling, relationship breakdown, and burnout. You can find a therapist, book a £1 discovery call with select therapists, and choose self-pay or insurance — with the paperwork handled for you. Therapy is offered in 22+ languages, so you can do the work in the language you actually think and feel in.

If you're in crisis right now, use the contacts above. If you've come through a crisis and want to understand what happened and prevent the next one, that's where therapy comes in.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a mental health crisis? A mental health crisis is when you're experiencing such severe distress that you're struggling to function or keep yourself safe. This includes suicidal thoughts or plans, self-harm urges you can't resist, severe panic or anxiety, psychotic symptoms, or a complete inability to function. You don't need to be actively suicidal to be in crisis — severe distress you can't cope with is enough.

What number do I call for a mental health crisis in the UK? For immediate life-threatening emergencies, call 999. For mental health crisis support and advice, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option (Option 2). For someone to talk to, 24/7 and free, call Samaritans on 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258.

Can I text for mental health crisis support? Yes. Text SHOUT to 85258 for free, 24/7 text-based crisis support. You'll be connected to a trained volunteer within minutes. All texts are confidential.

Will I be sectioned if I go to A&E for a mental health crisis? Usually not. Most people are treated and discharged with follow-up support. Involuntary admission (sectioning) happens only if clinicians believe you're at immediate, serious risk and refuse voluntary admission.

What is a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team? A CRHT provides intensive home-based support during a mental health crisis — daily visits, medication management, and crisis planning — to stabilise you at home rather than admitting you to hospital. You access them via NHS 111, your GP out-of-hours service, or A&E.

Can therapy help during a crisis? Standard therapy appointments aren't designed for acute crisis management — use the crisis services above. But therapy helps prevent crises by building coping skills and addressing underlying issues, and after a crisis it's crucial for understanding what led to it and preventing recurrence.

How do I support someone else in a mental health crisis? Stay calm, listen without judgement, ask directly if they're thinking about suicide (asking doesn't plant the idea), take them seriously, help them access support, and don't leave them alone if they're at immediate risk. If they're at immediate risk, call 999. If you're unsure, call NHS 111 for guidance.

The Bottom Line

If you're in crisis right now, use the contacts above. You don't have to do this alone, and reaching out isn't weakness — it's survival. The services exist for exactly this moment, and the people who run them want to help.

If you've come through a crisis and want to understand what led to it, build the skills that prevent the next one, and find the right therapist — Mind a Porter is here for that part. The crisis support line is for now. Therapy is for what comes after.