If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety or any other mental illness, you should seek support as soon as possible from a professional, such as your GP/doctor.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to talk to someone urgently, contact a support service such as a suicide hotline. Some contacts are:
Australia: Lifeline (Australia)
- Contact the 24-hour Telephone Crisis Support line by phone on 13 11 14
- Use the Online Crisis Chat Service at http://www.lifeline.org.au (7pm-4am AEST, seven days a week)
- If your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger, call 000
New Zealand: Lifeline Aotearoa
- Contact the 24-hour Telephone Crisis Support line by phone – in Auckland, call 09 5222 999; outside Auckland, call 0800 543 354
- If your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger, call 111
United Kingdom: Samaritans or SupportLine
- Contact the 24-hour Samaritans helpline by phone on 08457 90 90 90
- You can also contact the SupportLine Helpline on 01708 765 200, however note that their website states their hours do vary and that you should call to check their hours
- If your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger, call 999
Republic of Ireland: Samaritans or 1 Life
- Contact the 24-hour Samaritans helpline by phone on 116 123 (Republic of Ireland only)
- You can also contact 1 Life Freephone (24 hours) on 1800 247 100 or you can text the word HELP to 51444 to receive a call
- If your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger, call 999
United States of America: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Contact the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
- Use the online Crisis Chat Service at http://www.crisischat.org/chat (2pm-2am Eastern, seven days a week)
- If your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger, call 911
Canada: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Contact the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by phone on 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
- Use the online service IMAlive at http://www.imalive.org (available 24/7)
- If your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger, call 911
Note that the countries listed above have other resources also – this is just a selection.
For other countries not listed, try these resources:
https://checkpointorg.com/global/
https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support
If you are not experiencing suicidal feelings but want to be able to talk to someone else about how you’re feeling, consider an online chat forum such as www.depression-chat-rooms.org to engage in a chat with someone else who may be experiencing similar feelings. I will emphasise, however, that the best and most productive course of action is always to speak with a doctor, therapist or counsellor — the more you talk about it, the easier it gets.
LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH © 2022 JEREMY GODWIN