Urgent mental health support
A mental health crisis often means that you no longer feel able to cope or be in control of your situation. It often involves a sudden or continued worsening of your symptoms. You may feel great emotional distress or anxiety, feel you can't cope with day to day life, think about suicide or self harm, or experience hallucinations and hearing voices.
Below are some suggestions for what you can do if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. The option you choose will depend on how severe you feel your symptoms are and whether you can wait a short amount of time to get help, or need help immediately.
Please choose the option which is best for you.
We provide phone support for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Call NHS 111 and select the mental health option.
You can also access NHS 111 online via: 111.nhs.uk or you can still use the freephone numbers below. If you aren't able to make the call yourself, anyone can call on your behalf.
Liverpool and Sefton - anyone aged 16 and over, for urgent mental health support, please call our 24/7 freephone helpline: 0800 145 6570
Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Warrington - for all ages, if you need urgent mental health support, please call our 24/7 freephone helpline on: 0800 051 1508
If you’re deaf or have hearing loss, please use the following link to be connected to a local crisis service: NHS 111 – British Sign Language (BSL) Service
If you live outside of the above areas, find your local mental health crisis line on the NHS website.
What will happen when you call
When you call one of the numbers above, one of our dedicated mental health professionals will be able to offer assistance. They will talk to you, listen to your worries and try to understand your current problems. Through doing this, you and the health professionals will be able to make a plan on how best to meet your current needs.
This could include:
- A mental health assessment or referral for an assessment
- Referral to one of our mental health care services
- Contacting your local psychological therapy service
- Contacting a different community service for support such as housing, financial advice or drug and alcohol issues.
A&E should only be used when there are serious physical injuries which require treatment within the hospital environment.
If you are worried about your mental health but do not have serious physical injuries, for urgent help please call our crisis line:
- 0800 051 1508 if you live in Halton, Knowsley, St Helens or Warrington (available for all ages)
- 0800 145 6570 if you live in Liverpool and Sefton (for adults age 16 and over).
If you feel you need urgent mental health support but also have serious physical injuries, then we would advise you to attend A&E to address your physical injuries.
Please only call 999 if you feel you require immediate, life threatening assistance.
The Mersey Care 24 hour response team is for young people up to the age of 18 experiencing emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties which are causing difficulties in their school, family or social life.
The service is for children and young people who are registered with a GP in Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Warrington, up to their 18th birthday presenting in crisis needing an emergency response.
They provide:
- No wrong front door for emergency referrals, providing advice and consultation to professionals, parents, carers and children and young people
- Emergency assessment and follow up
- Brief intervention and home treatment.
Within four hours they will do an assessment, a risk assessment, keep young people safe, offer advice to children and families, working with social care, schools and other professionals.
You can contact the team on 01744 415 640 – 24 hours a day seven days a week.
If you don't feel that you need urgent help but would like support to manage your mental health and wellbeing, there are a range of other options you can consider.
If you are already under the care of one of our services, you can contact them directly. Contact details can be found on our services.
If you are experiencing a common mental illness such as anxiety, depression and/or stress, then Talking Therapies can support you. Find out more about your local services below:
- Talking Therapies Halton - Call: 0151 292 6954
- Talking Therapies Knowsley - Call: 0151 351 8890 - option one
- Talking Therapies Liverpool - Call: 0151 228 2300
- Talking Therapies St Helens - Call: 01744 647 100
If you live outside the above areas, you can find your local service on the NHS website.
If it’s not an emergency but you are feeling unwell and want advice and support, get in touch with your GP, who will talk it through with you and may refer you to someone else who can give you specialist help.
If you use our services get in touch with your care co-ordinator, the person who looks after your care or the person from the team that you normally see. Their number will be in your recovery plan.
Free, confidential, 24/7 text message support is available for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or is struggling to cope. The service is staffed by trained volunteers who will work with you to take your next steps towards feeling better. They can help with issues such as stress, anxiety and depression and are able to talk via text at any time of day or night. Simply text SHOUT to 85258 for immediate support, available 24/7.
For more information about the text service, visit: giveusashout.org
The Life Rooms is available to anyone 18+ and you can self refer or be referred by a health professional.
They are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and offer:
- Online staying well at home learning courses
- Pathway advisors who can support and advise with debt management, employment, housing issues, benefits and more
- Social inclusion advice for isolated community groups.
To find out more about The Life Rooms Service, visit their page on our website, visit liferooms.org or call them on 0151 478 6556
If you need help or if you are worried about someone else you can find immediate assistance via the following support services:
A national registered charity with local branches.
They are available around the clock to help anyone.
Phone: 116 123 (free)
Website: samaritans.org
A collaborative who are all committed to suicide prevention in the UK and beyond.
The alliance is ultimately concerned with improving support for people contemplating suicide by raising awareness of and promoting FREE suicide prevention training which is accessible to all.
Campaign Against Living Miserably
A registered charity, which exists to prevent male suicide in the UK.
Phone: 0800 58 58 58
Website: thecalmzone.net
As a national charity, they work towards building a society which speaks openly about suicide and has the resources to help young people who may have suicidal thoughts.
Phone: 0800 068 41 41
Text: 07786 209 697
Email: pat
Website: HOPElineUK
(all confidential)
If you have been bereaved by suicide contact the following support services:
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide exists to meet the needs and break the isolation experienced by those bereaved by suicide.
Phone: 0300 111 5065
Website: uksobs.org
This service aims to alleviate the distress of those bereaved or affected by suicide.
Phone: 0330 088 9255
Website: listening-ear.co.uk/amparo/
An online resource, provided by Chasing the Stigma, developed to support individuals with mental health issues and to signpost them to local services. Users undertake a postcode search to find out what support services are available locally.
Website: hubofhope.co.uk/
NHS England would like to hear from people who have accessed crisis mental health care services through the NHS 111 ‘select mental health option’ service.
You can access the survey either through the QR code above or the button below.