Suicide & Crisis Hotline

A suicide and crisis hotline is a free, confidential support service — typically staffed by trained counselors or volunteers, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — that offers emotional support and suicide prevention to anyone in distress. In the United States, this is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, reachable by call or text. Most countries maintain their own equivalent free crisis line, and many are staffed largely by trained volunteers.

Ways to reach a crisis line typically include: a free phone number available 24/7, an online chat option, and in some regions a text-messaging option or in-person walk-in centers. In the US, dialing or texting 988 connects you to the Lifeline network; other countries have their own dedicated numbers.

Crisis hotlines provide active, confidential listening — counselors don't give advice, don't judge, and typically don't require you to identify yourself. The goal is for the person to feel heard and not alone in the moment of crisis. A crisis hotline is not psychotherapy and does not replace medical treatment, but it is a vital, immediate resource during emotional crises or suicide risk.

If you are in crisis right now: call or text 988 (in the US), contact your country's local crisis line, or go to the nearest emergency room.