Crisis Support Lines in the United States

Living with chronic pain can take its toll on mental health, so learning effective coping skills is essential. Crisis lines provide a friendly voice to talk to when life just feels completely overwhelming. They are especially helpful when it feels too daunting to share distressing emotions with family or friends.

Crisis lines

Crisis lines are typically run by mental health centers and are great resources for individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis. They are usually a nonprofit or charity-based organization that depends on volunteers to staff the lines. Crisis lines are a free service and are typically available 24/7.

• 998 Suicide and Crisis Line (Formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) provides free, confidential, emotional support 24 hours a day in the United States. It is a national network with more than 180 local centers. Each call is directed to the caller’s closest local center.
  
  New Short Phone Number: 998
  
  Call 1-800-273-8255 (This number will continue to work)
  
  Lifeline Chat, a service provided by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, connects people with crisis counselors via online chat. It is also available 24/7 in the United States.
  
  Visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.
• IMAlive is the world's first virtual crisis network with every volunteer trained and certified in crisis intervention.
  
  Visit https://www.imalive.org/ to chat with a trained volunteer.
• Veterans Crisis Line is a service provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is available 24/7 for any U.S. Veteran, including National Guard & Reserve Veterans. It is also available to Veterans’ family members.
  
  Call 1-800-273-8255, press 1
  
  Text 838255
  
  Chat https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/chat
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 crisis support via text message. To maintain confidentiality, the number will not show as a crisis line on a phone bill. Depending on the phone carrier, either nothing will appear on the bill or just the number 741741.
  
  United States and Canada: Text HOME to 741741
  
  United Kingdom: Text SHOUT to 85258
  
  Ireland: Text HOME to 50808

Looking for a crisis line in a country that is not mentioned above? Check out http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html.

Warm lines

Some individuals may have used a crisis line in the past and did not find the experience helpful. Warm lines are an alternative option to crisis lines. They are run by individuals who have personally experienced their own mental health issues, challenging times, or traumas. Warm lines are usually operated on a daily basis during specific hours.

• Project Return Peer Support Network accepts calls from across the United States. Warm lines available seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. PST.
  
  Call 1-888-448-9777 (English)
  
  Call 1-888-448-4055 (Spanish)
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline can provide callers with numbers for local warm lines. The NAMI Helpline is available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. EST.
  
  Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

Local warm line numbers can also be found at warmline.org.

Social support lines

Feeling socially isolated and would just like a kind voice to talk to for a bit? Social support lines are a helpful coping tool.

• A Kind Voice runs a topic-based phone line staffed by volunteers. It is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST.
  
  Call 1-800-876-2399
• The Friendship Line, offered by the Institute on Aging, offers support, active listening, and conversation for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. It is available 24/7.
  
  Call 1-800-971-0016