Mental health emergency – if you’re in crisis or despair
If your mental or emotional state quickly gets worse, or you’re in crisis or despair, it’s important to get help quickly. You’re not alone; talk to someone you trust. Sharing a problem is sometimes the first step to recovery.
Your care plan
If you have a care plan, there are names and numbers to contact in an emergency. If you were or are being treated for a mental illness, you should have a care plan.
Where to go for help
If you don’t have a care plan, or can’t find it, you could:
- call the NHS 111 (England) or NHS Direct (Wales). Option 2 will direct you to a mental heath professional
- make an emergency appointment with your doctor, or call your doctor’s surgery out-of-hours service if the emergency is at night or the weekend
- call your mental health worker if you have one
- go to the accident and emergency department at your local hospital
The mental health crisis team
All trust areas have a mental health crisis team with psychiatric nurses, social workers and support workers. They:
- carry out mental health assessments
- provide support and short-term help until another team is available or the help is no longer needed
You can ask your GP or the GP out of hours service about the mental health crisis team for your area.
The Samaritans
- The Samaritans offer a safe place for you to talk 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- They are highly skilled and work to the highest levels of confidentiality.
- They will talk about anything that you are finding distressing You don’t have to be suicidal.
The Samaritans offer a 24-hour telephone helpline, as well as an e-mail and txt service:
- Telephone: 116 123
- E-mail: jo@samaritans.org
- You can also contact them at their local branch, using this link: www.samaritans.org
Resources and Support
You may want extra support outside of the therapy room. Here is a list of some providers, both national and local.
• Alcoholics Anonymous
AA helps those with an alcohol addiction through support and meetings.
• Beaumont Society Transgender support group
• Childline
A free helpline for children and young people in the UK, call 0800 1111 to talk about any problem.
• Cruse Bereavement Care
Help and support for those who have suffered a loss.
• Home-Start
UK’s family support charity.
• Employee Therapy Solutions
Work-Based Mental Health & Wellbeing Support.
• Mind
Mental health charity with local branches
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline Freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline
• Oxford Nightline is a listening, support and information service run for and by students of Oxford and Oxford Brookes universities
• Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre Supporting women who have experienced rape and sexual abuse
•Oxford Safe Haven An out-of-hours, non-clinical space offering crisis support, signposting, listening support.
• Samaritans
A charity available 24 hours a day offering a confidential listening service to anyone in distress.
• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline
• Victim Support
A national charity that helps anyone who has been affected by crime.