Below are some emergency mental health resources and services available in the UK and France to help if you are experiencing a crisis.
I do not provide an emergency counselling service. If you are in crisis (you feel at risk of harming yourself or someone else and need urgent help), please seek immediate support.
Emergency Mental Health Resources and Services in the UK (usually in English)
UK Emergency Mental Health Services
- Call 999 (immediate danger) or go to any Accident & Emergency (A&E) department.
- Call NHS 111 (England) for 24/7 mental health crisis support and guidance to local services.
- Ask someone to call 999 (or 111 in England) for you, or take you to A&E.
- Request an urgent appointment with your GP.
- If you already have one, contact your local NHS crisis team.
Listening & Text Support in the UK
- Samaritans — free, 24/7
Phone: 116 123 • Email: jo@samaritans.org • samaritans.org - Shout — free 24/7 text support
Text SHOUT to 85258 • giveusashout.org - SANEline — national out-of-hours emotional support
Phone: 0300 304 7000 (typically 4pm–10pm daily) • sane.org.uk - Papyrus HOPELINE247 — for under-35s with suicidal feelings (and anyone concerned about a young person)
Phone: 0800 068 4141 • Text: 88247 • Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org • 24/7 - Switchboard (LGBTQIA+) — information, support & referral
Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm daily) • Email: chris@switchboard.lgbt • switchboard.lgbt
Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland: emergency 999 and A&E still apply. Local NHS and third-sector helplines are also available via your nation’s health pages.
Emergency Mental Health Resources and Services in France (usually in French)
France Emergency Mental Health Services
- Go to any emergency ward (les urgences) at a hospital.
- Call SAMU (15) for medical emergencies and request transfer to les urgences.
- Call Sapeurs-pompiers (18) for urgent assistance and request transfer to les urgences.
- From any EU country (including France), call 112.
- Ask someone to call 15, 18 or 112 for you, or to take you to les urgences.
- Contact your médecin traitant (registered GP) or any médecin généraliste for an urgent appointment.
- Contact a psychiatrist (psychiatre) or visit your local CMP (Centre Médico-Psychologique).
France: Listening & Crisis Lines
- 3114 — Numéro national de prévention du suicide (national suicide prevention line)
Phone: 3114 • 24/7, free, nationwide (professionals available) - SOS Amitié — French-speaking listening service
Phone: 09 72 39 40 50 • Also offers webchat/messaging • sosamitie.org - SOS Help — English-language listening service (not 24h)
Phone: 01 46 21 46 46 • usually 3pm–11pm daily • soshelpline.org
Emergency Mental Health Resources and Services in Spain (usually in Spanish)
Spain Emergency Mental Health Services
- Call 112 — the general European emergency number. Ask for medical or mental health assistance (emergencias médicas o salud mental).
- Go to the nearest hospital emergency department (urgencias hospitalarias) if you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else.
- Ask someone to call 112 or take you to urgencias.
- If you already have one, contact your local mental health centre (centro de salud mental) or GP (médico de cabecera) for an urgent appointment.
- You can also request an emergency evaluation by the Servicio de Psiquiatría de Guardia (on-duty psychiatry service) at most public hospitals.
Spain: Listening & Crisis Lines
- 024 — Línea de Atención a la Conducta Suicida (Spain’s national suicide prevention helpline)
Phone: 024 • 24/7, free, confidential • Offers interpretation in several languages • https://www.línea024.es - Samaritans in Spain — English-language emotional support
Phone: 900 525 100 • 10am–10pm daily • Email: pat@samaritansinspain.com • samaritansinspain.com - Teléfono de la Esperanza — Spanish-language emotional support and suicide prevention
Phone: 717 003 717 • 24/7, nationwide • telefonodelaesperanza.org - ANAR Foundation (for children and adolescents)
Phone: 900 202 010 • 24/7, free, confidential • Also chat via www.anar.org - Confía (LGBT+ support line)
Phone: 900 670 474 • Free and confidential • infotransigualdad.com/confia
Quick reference
- Emergency number: 112 (anywhere in Spain or the EU)
- Suicide prevention (national): 024
- English support: Samaritans in Spain — 900 525 100
- Children & youth: ANAR — 900 202 010
Emergency Mental Health Resources and Services Worldwide
- Befrienders Worldwide — directory of emotional support helplines to prevent suicide
befrienders.org - Wikipedia — curated list of suicide crisis lines by country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines
Important disclaimer
These lists are not exhaustive. Service hours can change; if one route is busy or closed, try another.
In urgent situations in France, the UK, and elsewhere in Europe, dial 112 to reach emergency call handlers who can direct you to an appropriate service. Elsewhere, please refer to the worldwide emergency service numbers for your location: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers