The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

 As soon as possible, I urge you to add the following number to your phone contacts, so you can access it quickly in an emergency: 800-273-TALK (8255).

This is the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by people trained in crisis intervention.

It’s important to put this number in your phone now, before a crisis occurs, because in the midst of a crisis it’s often hard to think clearly. That’s not the time to be searching around, trying to find the number.

I also recommend that you visit the Suicide Prevention Lifeline website, where you will find a lot of information about helping someone in a suicidal crisis. This page is particularly helpful:

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-someone-else/ 

The time to educate yourself is now, before a crisis occurs. This "help someone else" page teaches you how to recognize a crisis, and gives tips on what to say and do (and not say and do) when someone is in a crisis.

The lifeline can help when:

• You are having thoughts of suicide yourself. They will listen to you, offer emotional support, assess your risk, and connect you with resources in your area.
• You are concerned about a friend or family member that you think may be contemplating suicide. The counselors can answer your questions and advise you about how to help your loved one.
• You are with someone who is thinking about suicide. Don't just give the person the number and leave. Stay with him or her and call the lifeline together. Help the person follow through with the counselor's advice. Do not leave the person alone until the crisis passes, unless your own safety is at risk.
• You need someone to talk to about your struggles, even if you're not thinking about suicide.

This page on the Lifeline website talks about who can benefit from the lifeline and what happens when you call:

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

If you prefer to text or chat online with someone, there are also options for that. If you go to the Lifeline website (listed on the image below), you can chat confidentially with a counselor.

To text with a counselor, text HOME to 741741. You can also chat with a counselor from the crisis text line at https://www.crisistextline.org/

If you or the person you’re calling for is a veteran, call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 to be connected to a counselor who is trained to understand the special needs of veterans. You can also text to 838255. To chat confidentially online, go to VeteransCrisisLine.net 

Finally, I recommend that you download the Suicide Prevention Lifeline wallet card to your phone. It is a PDF document, which lists the suicide warning signs, and can be found here:

https://store.samhsa.gov/product/National-Suicide-Prevention-Lifeline-Wallet-Card-Suicide-Prevention-Learn-the-Warning-Signs/SVP13-0126