Emergency services
999If anyone is in immediate danger.
When the worry is yours
You can care without
carrying it alone.
You do not need to diagnose someone, extract a promise or become their only support. Your job is to notice, ask plainly and connect urgent risk to urgent help.
A steady first response
Ask. Listen. Act on the level of danger.
- 01Say what you have noticed.Use simple observations: “You have sounded hopeless this week and I am worried about you.”
- 02Ask directly about immediate safety.Asking whether someone is thinking about suicide does not plant the idea. It helps you understand the urgency.
- 03Do not promise secrecy.If someone may be in immediate danger, contact emergency or urgent support even if they ask you not to.
- 04Get support for yourself too.You are allowed to be frightened, tired or unsure. Calling for guidance is not betraying them.
UK support routes
Use the route that matches what is happening now.
NHS urgent mental-health support
111Call 111 and select the mental-health option. You can call about someone else.
Samaritans
116 123Free, day or night. You can call because you are worried about another person.
Mind support line
0300 102 1234Mental-health support and help finding specialist services, Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm.
Carers UK
0808 808 7777Information and signposting for carers, Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm.
PAPYRUS HopeLine 24/7
0300 102 2470For a young person experiencing suicidal thoughts, or anyone worried about them.
A future listening session can be about the weight of worrying for someone, but a listener cannot assess, contact or treat the person you are worried about. Paid bookings are not open yet.