Guide
Mental health crisis warning signs
A mental health crisis is a moment when someone can no longer cope with what they are feeling and is at risk of harm. It does not always look dramatic, and it is rarely a single event: usually several signs build over days, and people around the person notice before the person does.
You do not need to be certain before you act. If something feels wrong, ask. Asking someone directly whether they are thinking about suicide does not plant the idea — the evidence is consistent on this — and it is often the first time they have been able to say it out loud.
Signs that matter most
Talking about dying, or having no reason to live
Direct statements, or indirect ones like "I can't do this any more" or "everyone would be better off". Take the words at face value.
Giving things away and saying goodbye
Sudden calm after a long depression, tidying up unfinished business, writing letters or making a will can signal that a decision has been made.
Withdrawal from everyone and everything
Stopping answering messages, abandoning work or school, staying in bed, and a sharp drop in self-care over days rather than weeks.
Agitation, panic or losing touch with reality
Not sleeping at all, racing speech, hearing or seeing things others do not, or a sudden inability to be left alone.
Hopelessness and self-directed anger
Feeling trapped, ashamed or like a burden, and speaking about themselves with contempt. Risk rises when hopelessness and access to a method meet.
A sharp change in behaviour
Someone who is usually steady becoming reckless, drinking heavily or driving dangerously. A break in pattern is often the clearest signal to those who know the person.
Call an ambulance, not a helpline
Some situations are medical emergencies, and a helpline cannot dispatch help. Call your local emergency number — 112 across most of Europe, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US and Canada, 000 in Australia — if someone has taken an overdose, has injured themselves seriously, is unconscious or fitting, has a weapon, or has told you they are about to act and you cannot keep them safe. Stay with them, remove obvious means if you safely can, and keep the line open.
If there is no immediate danger
A crisis line is the better first call when someone is distressed but safe. You can call on your own behalf, or on behalf of someone you are worried about; most services will talk a supporter through what to say and how to keep the person engaged while other help is arranged. Find the number for your country in the country directory, and read what happens when you call if you are unsure what to expect.
What helps in the conversation
Ask plainly, then stop talking. Use their words rather than clinical ones, resist reassurance that dismisses what they said, and do not promise secrecy you cannot keep. Agree on one small next step — a call to a helpline together, a GP appointment in the morning, staying at your place tonight — and follow up afterwards, because the days after a crisis are the highest-risk period. Your own support matters too: supporting someone through this is heavy, and crisis lines take calls from worried family and friends.