Over the years I have worked with many people who felt hopeless about the future or their current difficulties. Coming to therapy and having someone to talk to was incredibly helpful, and allowed them to feel safe and supported. There are times, however, when the struggles feel overwhelming. In these moments it is important to keep yourself safe and talk to someone who can help. You are not alone.
If you don't feel you can keep yourself safe right now, go to any Accident & Emergency (A&E) department or call 999 and ask for an ambulance to take you to A&E.
If you need urgent support but don't want to go to A&E, you could:
Call Samaritans on freephone 116 123 – they're always open and are there to listen
Contact your GP surgery and ask for an emergency appointment
Contact NHS 111
Who else can you contact?
There are various help lines you can call where professionals offer confidential support for you or your loved ones.
If you're experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).
If you're under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (Sunday-Friday 2pm–11pm), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.
If you're under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.
If you identify as male, you can call the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) or use their webchat service.
If you're a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.
If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.
