I Feel Suicidal

If you are thinking that you might be better off dead, thinking of hurting yourself or attempting suicide, please consider talking to someone.

Though there is no guarantee that you would feel better afterwards, it could be a space to process the current thoughts and feelings.
Depending on what you are comfortable with at the moment, below are a few options for you to talk to someone.

Someone You Know

  • Call a trusted family or a friend who can listen to you without judgement

  • Call your therapist, counselor, or doctor’s office

Emergency Services

If you feel comfortable seeking emergency services, you can

  • Call 911 for all emergencies (in the United States)

  • Call 988 for mental health crisis (in the United States)

  • Go to a hospital emergency room

  • Ask a family or friend to make the calls or take you to the hospital

Crisis Hotlines w/o Active Rescue

Note. These resources DO NOT arrange emergency servies for you.

  • Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860 for transgender, non-binary, intersex, and others with diverse gender identities. It is run by individuals who identify as gender non-conforming.

  • Call BlackLine 1-800-604-5841

  • Samaritans NYC 1-212-673-3000

  • THRIVE Lifeline offers 24/7 text-based crisis support to anyone 18+ with specific focus on multiply marginalized communities. Text “THRIVE” to begin your conversation with us 24/7/365, from anywhere: +1.313.662.8209

  • Warmlines are run by peers who have experienced struggles themselves. They usually meet you where you’re at and primarily listen.

Learn about What Happens When You Call Into A Suicide Prevention Hotline

Text 401-400-2905 to reach Project LETS’s Cisis Support Team for urgent support with psychiatric incarceration/involuntary hospitalization

Crisis Hotlines

Note. These resources MAY arrange emergency services for you against your will if they determine that you may be a harm to yourself or others.

Hotlines in the United States (Free 24/7)

International Hotlines

Mental Health Resources

I Want to Help Someone

While emergency services can save lives, they can also lead to further traumatization in some cases. Before you take someone to the hospital or report their suicidal thoughts, please consider the potential consequences outlined below.

Why Approach Matters

Why do we care about the approach (active vs. no active rescue) these hotlines take?
(some adapted from this Twitter thread by Dr. Emily Krebs)

  • People experience suicidal thoughts differently. A person may suddenly become suicidal following a recent event, or they can be chronically suicidal, meaning that they always consider suicide as an option at the back of their mind.

  • Being suicidal does not mean that a person will carry out suicidal behaviors or need to be immediately hospitalized. Yes, hearing that a loved one is thinking about suicide can be incredibly scary, but calling emergency services on them may not be the most helpful approach.

  • Reporting someone for being suicidal can get them kicked out of college, fired from jobs, and sometimes even lose custody of their kids. Mandatory reporting policies are dangerous & are aimed at protecting businesses and organizations from liability, not helping people.

  • The UN has called involuntary psychiatric care a form of torture but it’s still regularly practiced on suicidal patients in the US. Involuntary 72-hour (“5150”) holds are the norm for people deemed a threat to themselves. 5150 holds are one of the only legal circumstances in the USA where people can be forced to undergo medical treatments and ingest food or liquids against their will.

  • Suicide risk following involuntary psychiatric hospitalization skyrockets \(^1\) \(^2\). While 5150 holds may prevent a person from dying in one moment of crisis, they don’t protect people long term. 988 openly engages in nonconsensual active rescue despite its harms and lack of effectiveness. Callers seeking phone support can end up being escorted by police to a psychiatric hospital against their will–sometimes at gunpoint if the officers deem the person dangerous. Individual who belong to racial or gender minority groups or have disabilities face greater risk of being traumatized.

  • Text 401-400-2905 for urgent support with psychiatric incarceration/involuntary hospitalization

Help Someone Suicidal

I Lost Someone To Suicide

I Want To Learn

Learn from the lived experiences of suicide survivors

  • Live Through This has an incredible collection of narratives shared by suicide survivors.

Learn from the lived experiences of people who self-injure

Learn about anti-carceral mental healthcare practices (meaning care where patients don’t lose their rights or autonomy)

  • Discussions on Decarerating Care by the Institute for the Development of Human Arts that advocates for Transformative Mental Health which focuses on systematic change, experiential knowledge and holistic care.

  • “Project LETS is a national grassroots organization and movement led by and for folks with lived experience of mental illness/madness, Disability, trauma, & neurodivergence. … We work for and with multiply marginalized folks in our communities to provide access, political education, & material resources that are needed to survive and thrive.”

  • “Fireweed Collective offers mental health education and mutual aid through a Healing Justice and Disability Justice lens.” They provide support groups, workshops, and an awesome crisis toolkit.

  • “Mad In America’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care in the United States (and abroad). We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society, and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change.” They use “a mix of journalism, education and societal discussion” to “provide the seed for a much-needed remaking of mental health care in the United States and globally.”

  • Trans Lifeline has an incredible resources page for all sorts of struggles, especially for people with minorotized gender and racial identities with limited financial resources.

Please email Irene if you are interested in collaborating.
Please note that Irene cannot answer clinical queries. The material on this site is not intended to substitute for clinical advice.
Share your comments, concerns, suggestions, or additional resources here.
Page last updated: 2023-09-12