If you are feeling suicidal
If you, or someone you know, is feeling suicidal there are people you can talk to:
- speak to a friend, family member or someone you trust
- call the Derbyshire Mental Health Support Line tel: 0800 028 0077 (24 hours per day, 7 days per week)
- call the free Samaritans 24-hour support service on tel: 116 123 or contact Samaritans online
- use the Staying Safe website for support, information and making your own safety plan
- contact NHS 111, though be aware of delays in accessing this service
- make an urgent appointment to see your GP, who may be operating a callback service
- tel: 999
- if you require urgent medical intervention go to your nearest emergency department
If you need urgent help
If you, or someone you care about, is experiencing mental ill health and is in a crisis or emergency situation, there are many ways that you can get help:
- contact your local GP, who will decide with you the best action to take
- if a health or social care professional (your care co-ordinator or key worker) has given you a specific phone number to call when you are concerned about your condition, continue to use that number
- for adult social care during office hours contact Call Derbyshire, tel: 01629 533190 from 8am to 8pm on Monday to Friday, and from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday - outside normal hours, call the emergency duty team, tel: 01629 532600
- mental health charity Mind suggests practical things you can do to help yourself if you're feeling suicidal or are in crisis. It has information about where you can get help as well as links to blogs and websites where people have shared their experiences of dealing with a mental health crisis
NHS 111
You should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but not if it's a life-threatening situation.
NHS 111 is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
Tel: 111 if:
- you need medical help fast but it's not a 999 emergency
- you think you need to go to accident and emergency or need another NHS urgent care service
- you don't know who to call or you don't have a GP to call
- you need health information or reassurance about what to do next
For less urgent health needs, contact your GP or local pharmacist in the usual way.
Samaritans
Samaritans provides non-judgmental emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress, despair or suicidal thoughts.
Tel: 116 123 free helpline, or email jo@samaritans.org
Staying Safe
Information about how to make a safety plan can be found on the Staying Safe website for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts or supporting someone else.
Stay Alive app
The Stay Alive app is a suicide prevention resource for the UK containing useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
CALM is for anyone who needs to talk about life's problems. Tel: 0800 58 58 58 free helpline or web chat from 5pm to midnight every day.
Papyrus
Papyrus is for children and people under 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide or for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide:
Childline
Childline helps children and young people under 19 with any issue they're going through.
Tel: 0800 1111 free - the helpline number is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and won't show up on your phone bill.
The Silver Line
The Silver Line is a free helpline for older people across the UK that's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Tel: 0800 4 70 80 90.
Mental health advocacy and specialist advocacy
If you or someone you know has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act then there are specialist independent advocacy services to provide support in understanding your legal rights and being heard in relation to your care and treatment. You have to meet certain criteria in order to have this specialist advocacy.
If someone lacks capacity to make their own decisions then the specialist independent advocacy service can represent their views and wishes.
Find out further information about advocacy support in Derbyshire.