Getting help in a crisis
At My Voice, we focus on promoting and protecting your rights, so we’re not able to provide emergency support for people in crisis. But there are lots of people who can.
They are listed here:
- Your GP
- The out of hours GP at the hospital
- Your Community Psychiatric nurse
If you feel it is an emergency, and you are unable to see your GP, please contact the CRISIS TEAM on 01534 445290
Samaritans
Telephone: 116 123 (24 hours a day, free to call)
Website: http://www.samaritans.org
Provides confidential, non-judgemental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those that could lead to suicide. You can phone, email, write a letter or in most cases talk to someone face to face.
Saneline
Telephone: 0300 304 7000 (4:30pm-10:30pm)
Website: www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/support/helpline
Saneline is a national mental health helpline providing information and support to people with mental health problems and those who support them.
ChildLine
Telephone: 0800 1111
Website: www.childline.org.uk
ChildLine is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of nineteen. You can contact a ChildLine counsellor for free about anything – no problem is too big or too small.
What should I do if I’m supporting someone in a crisis?
If the person seems really unwell, and you are worried about their safety, you should encourage them to seek help.
What do we mean by crisis?
Having a mental health crisis can mean different things to different people, but can include:
- Thinking about suicide or acting on suicidal thoughts
- Having an episode of psychosis (where you might experience or believe things that others do not), or
- Doing something that could put yourself or other people at risk.
Crisis Plan
It is important to plan for crisis situations, so that you will know who to contact in an emergency. If the person you care for has a crisis plan from their mental health team it should be the first one you follow in a crisis.