How to Get Help for Suicidal Thoughts or Behaviors

Crisis Lifelines are numbers you can call or text to receive support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The person you talk to will be trained to help people who are in crisis, especially people who are having suicidal thoughts. You can also call when you’re not in a crisis, but still want support. Some of these lines differ in if/when they send crisis services like an ambulance if you don’t want one. You can always ask 9-8-8 to call an ambulance for you. The Trans Lifeline does not send an ambulance or police to you without your permission.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 9-8-8

• The previous number still works too: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (español): 9-8-8 OR 1-888-628-9454 
• National Suicide Prevention Textline: Text HOME to 9-8-8 OR 741-741
• National Suicide Prevention Online Chat: https://988lifeline.org

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Resources for specific groups

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing TTY Line: 1-800-799-4889 or dial 7-1-1 and then 9-8-8, or video call here.
• LGBTQIA+ helpline: Call 9-8-8 and press 3
• Native American, American Indian, Alaska Native Support: Call 9-8-8 and press 4
• Veterans Crisis Line: 9-8-8 and press 1 OR 800-273-8255 and press 1  
  • Veterans Crisis Text Line: 838255
  • Website: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net
  • See this Veteran's Association resource for tips on firearm and medication safety: https://www.va.gov/reach/lethal-means/
    

Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line: Call or text 833-773-2445

The Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line is a group of trained health professionals such as nurses, clinicians, social workers, and psychiatrists who provide a range of services (and are not operated by law enforcement/police). You can call or text them 24/7 for their mobile crisis team, help finding therapy or medications or other supports, and crisis services.

Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

• More information available on the Trans Lifeline website.

Trevor Project Lifeline (a resource for LGBTQIA+ persons): 1-866-488-7386

• Trevor Project Text Line: Text START to 678-678
• Chat available here: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

THRIVE Lifeline

THRIVE Lifeline offers chat-based crisis support to anyone 18+ with specific focus on multiply marginalized communities. They do not engage in non-consensual active rescue and prioritize consent and autonomy.

• Chat available here: https://thrivelifeline.org/

Call BlackLine

Call BlackLine® provides a space for peer support, counseling, reporting of mistreatment, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences for folxs who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. Call BlackLine® prioritizes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). By us for us.

• Call: 1-800-604-5841

Additional helplines that are available at specific times (not 24/7)

• Agora Crisis Center: 505-277-3013 (6 a.m.–midnight)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: 1-800-950-6264 (Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET)
• NAMI Textline: Text 62640 (Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET)
• NAMI Online Chat: nami.org/help
• LGBT National Hotline: 888-843-4564 (Monday–Friday, 4 p.m.–midnight ET; Saturday, noon–5 p.m. ET)
• LGBT Online Peer Support Chat: https://lgbthotline.org/chat
• Physician Support Line (for physicians and medical students): 1-888-409-0141 (8 a.m.–1 a.m. ET, 7 days a week) 

We recommend Community Health Link (CHL) because they partner with UMass Memorial Hospital and provide a range of services and supports, including a mobile crisis team, walk-in clinics, and outpatient therapy and medication to help people to recover from the effects of mental health problems and substance use, including alcohol.

CHL also offers a mobile crisis team, who are mental health professionals who can come to you if you are having a mental health emergency, 24/7 at 1-866-549-2142.

CHL also offers two walk in clinics (where you do not need an appointment and can be seen on the same day) from Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m, and Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

• 12 Queen Street, Worcester, MA
• 40 Spruce Street, Leominster, MA

Additional Organizations

• South Bay Community Services (Locations include Worcester and Leominster)
• Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services
• Advocates Community Counseling (Marlborough)
• South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) Behavioral Healthcare

These resources can help you find an outpatient therapist (someone you could see 1–3 times per week or every other week), intensive outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization treatment, residential treatment, inpatient hospital treatment, recovery housing, and home-based services.

211 HelpSteps can help you find mental health and/or substance use services in Massachusetts, go to the 211 HelpSteps website or call 2-1-1.

Atlas can also help you find substance use and mental health services in Massachusetts and some other states. You answer a series of confidential questions and then get advice about what types of supports might be helpful for you and specific locations that offer those supports.

The state Department of Mental Health (DMH) website includes services that can connect you to local helplines that connect you with outpatient mental health and addiction services, behavioral health homes, and certified sober living homes. Information for Massachusetts can be found on Mass.gov.

These are resources that offer how to find therapy, medications, and recovery supports in the United States. You can use these to find supports in your area—or another state if you move or live somewhere else during part of the year.

SAMHSA's National Helpline

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889, is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Supports could be an outpatient therapist (someone you could see 1–3 times per week or every other week), intensive outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization treatment, residential treatment, inpatient hospital treatment, recovery housing, community-based or peer-led supports, and home-based services.

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator

The Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator is a confidential and anonymous source of information for persons seeking support in the United States for substance use/addiction and/or mental health problems. You put in your location (address, city, or zip code) and are given a list of behavioral health treatment locations in your area, along with their phone numbers, address, website, and information on the type of support they provide. Supports could be an outpatient therapist (someone you could see 1–3 times per week or every other week), intensive outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization treatment, residential treatment, inpatient hospital treatment, recovery housing, community-based or peer-led supports, and home-based services. 

NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator

The Navigator helps adults find support for alcohol use and is produced by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (so it does not have any ties to commercial sponsors or agencies that provide alcohol supports or treatment). The Navigator will help you find evidence-based supports, which are shown to work through decades of carefully designed scientific research. There are also 10 questions that can help you understand if a treatment program is the right fit for you.

Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

The Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies also has a search tool for therapists who specialize in cognitive-behavioral therapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapies have been shown to be effective in people with a range of difficulties. Enter your zip code, state, characteristics about yourself, and any areas you’d like help with into the search engine, to find a therapist and make an appointment.

Psychology Today

The Psychology Today website includes a therapist search tool. Enter your zip code and use the filters on the left side to select insurance type, therapy type, and other preferences you have to find a therapist and make an appointment. Does include if therapist offers telehealth.

Inclusive Therapists

Inclusive Therapists makes the process of finding a therapist simpler and safer for persons with marginalized identities. Their core value is that all people with all abilities in all bodies deserve equal access to identity affirming, culturally responsive care. You can search by cultural knowledge, focus, services, insurance, languages, accessibility of office space, therapist race, sliding scale/low cost options, specialties, spiritual knowledge, therapeutic approaches (including cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, which both informed the program you are using with your avatar right now).

Free Black Therapy

Free Black Therapy is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization dedicated to providing free remote mental health services with Black Mental Health professionals for Black and African American individuals.

Melanin and Mental Health

Melanin and Mental Health is an online directory of culturally competent therapists committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities.

The Loveland Foundation

The Loveland Foundation is a non-profit organization which offers free vouchers for Black women and girls to receive therapy. Started by Rachel Cargle, an entrepreneur, writer, and philanthropist, and has raised over $250,000 for Black women and girls to receive therapy. If you are a Black, African, or African American women, you can fill out an online form to request a voucher.

Asians for Mental Health

Asians for Mental Health was created to help Asians feel seen, heard, and empowered in their journeys towards better mental health. Their Asians for Mental Health Directory offers the ability to search for Asian/Pacific Islander therapists by location.

Stamp Out Stigma

Stamp Out Stigma (SOS) is an initiative by the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) to reduce stigma surrounding mental illnesses and substance use disorders (SUD). SOS provides resources, such as its Person-Centered Language Guide, and a place to read or share your story.

Peers are other people with mental health conditions — sometimes these supports are called mutual-aid groups. These are some excellent peer-run and mutual-aid programs for mental health.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

NAMI offers peer support groups, alternatives to suicide support groups, peer support classes, recovery learning communities, young adult access centers (which offer peer support, arts, social activities, and connections to housing, employment, and education resources in a space that is welcoming and safe), and peer led respite programs where people can stay for 5–7 days during a crisis. The link for Massachusetts’ chapter is: https://namimass.org/peer-support/

HeySam

HeySam is a peer-to-peer texting service for people up to 24 years old. Text 439-726 to reach out to a peer who is 18–24 years old.

The Wildflower Alliance

The Wildflower Alliance is a grassroots Peer Support, Advocacy, and Training organization with a focus on harm reduction and human rights in Western MA. They also have peer-lead Alt2Su groups in person, offer 1:1 peer support services, peer respite programs (where you can live for a short time with supports from peers), and have open center hours with employment, education, and recreational activities and programming. Alt2Su are groups run by and for people experiencing suicidal thoughts, actions, or past attempts.

Alt2Su Connecticut

Alt2Su Connecticut also has online Alt2Su peer support groups for people experiencing suicidal thoughts, actions or past attempts. People are encouraged to come during times of crisis and strength. For more information about their approach and values, please take a look at the Alternatives to Suicide group charter — as originally developed by the Wildflower Alliance, a peer-run organization in western Massachusetts.

Additional Resources

There are also free online support groups and message boards that are moderated (so that they remove bullying or hateful comments) and are free.

• Alliance of Hope for Survivors of Suicide Loss
• Mental Health America
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America (English and Spanish support groups online)
• The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

The following websites have coping skills practice videos or tools. They also contain other resources to help manage moments of crisis.

• Now Matters Now
• To Write Love on Her Arms
• Wellbeing Collaborative

Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)

WRAP supports you to identify the tools that keep you well and create action plans to put them into practice in your everyday life. All along the way, WRAP helps you incorporate key recovery concepts and wellness tools into your plans and your life.

National Empowerment Center

The National Empowerment Center includes multiple resources for crisis, including prevention and care. They have a comprehensive list of crisis alternatives and a directory of local Peer respites around the United States.

Posttraumatic Growth Center

The Posttraumatic Growth Center is working on transforming the approach to mental health through the science of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). PTG is a positive psychological transformation that can happen after trauma, essentially positive changes because of the struggle in the aftermath of trauma. The Center will assist in the process of PTG with its many resources and guides.

We Matter Campaign

The We Matter Campaign is a nationally registered organization dedicated to Indigenous youth support, hope, and life promotion. The campaign involves Indigenous role models, youth, and community members from across Canada who submit short videos, written and artistic messages sharing their own experiences of overcoming hardships, and communicating with Indigenous youth that no matter how hopeless life can feel, there is always a way forward.

It can be uplifting to hear personal accounts of people who have found ways to live with suicidal thoughts and recover from suicide attempts. These websites show personal accounts of people with lived experiences.

Life Through This — Written stories in interviews

Live Through This contains many written stories and interviews by people suffering from suicide. Some contain uplifting video content as well.

National Suicide Hotline — Videos

The 988 Lifeline contains multiple video stories of hope and recovery, featuring links to other websites as well.

To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) — Podcast and blog

TWLOHA has a podcast and blog where they stories, poems, and writing from those struggling with suicidal thoughts and self-harm. They update often and allow for discussion using their comment feature.

CT Support Group — Written stories

CT Support Group shares stories of young people sharing their struggles with mental health.

Stamp Out Stigma — Written stories and videos

Stamp Out Stigma (SOS) is an initiative spearheaded by the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) to reduce stigma surrounding mental illnesses and substance use disorders (SUD) and reshape how we talk about these issues. SOS provides a platform where people can share their story in their own words and become a part of SOS’ community of storytellers. SOS storytellers have shared stories about mental health journeys, substance use disorders, and suicide. Share your story or read others' on their website.