Crisis Lines
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. You can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Crisis Text Line
Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text 741741 from anywhere in the U.S. to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. Crisis Text Line trains volunteers to support people in crisis. With over 79 million messages processed to date, they are growing quickly, but so is the need.
Trevor Lifeline
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. The TrevorLifeline is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386. TrevorText is available by texting “START” to 678678.
TrevorSpace is an online international peer-to-peer community for LGBTQ young people and their friends.
Trans Lifeline
Trans Lifeline is a national trans-led 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of trans lives by responding to the critical needs of our community with direct service, material support, advocacy, and education. Fighting the epidemic of trans suicide and improving overall life-outcomes of trans people the Trans Lifeline facilitates justice-oriented, collective community aid. Their peer support hotline is run by and for trans people. The line is available daily from 7 a.m.–1 a.m. PST / 9 a.m.–3 a.m. CST / 10 a.m.–4 a.m. EST. Volunteers may be available during off hours. Call 877-565-8860 to speak to someone now.
Veterans Crisis Line
The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource that’s available to anyone, even if you’re not registered with VA or enrolled in VA health care. The caring, qualified responders at the Veterans Crisis Line are specially trained and experienced in helping veterans of all ages and circumstances; many of the responders are veterans themselves. If you’re a veteran in crisis or concerned about one, there are caring, qualified VA responders standing by to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 988 and press 1 or text 838255.
SAMHSA Prevention Resources
SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center
SAMHSA’s SPRC provides accurate data, up-to-date research, and knowledge of effective strategies and interventions that are essential to our ability to prevent suicide. Find programs, toolkits, fact sheets, and other resources to help you take effective action.
Zero Suicide
The foundational belief of Zero Suicide is that suicide deaths for individuals under the care of health and behavioral health systems are preventable. For systems dedicated to improving patient safety, Zero Suicide presents an aspirational challenge and practical framework for system-wide transformation toward safer suicide care.
#BeThe1To
#BeThe1To is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s message for National Suicide Prevention Month and beyond, spreading the word about actions we can all take to prevent suicide. The Lifeline network and its partners are working to change the conversation from suicide to suicide prevention, to actions that can promote healing, help and give hope. Together, we can prevent suicide by learning to help ourselves, help others, seek consultation from trained providers (hotlines and clinicians) and to seek hospital care when necessary.
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) is the nation’s public-private partnership for suicide prevention. The Action Alliance works with more than 250 national partners to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Current priority areas include: transforming health systems, transforming communities, and changing the conversation.
Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention
This model shows nine strategies that form a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention and mental health promotion. Each strategy is a broad goal that can be advanced through an array of possible activities (i.e., programs, policies, practices, and services).
SPRC’s Effective Suicide Prevention Model
This four-minute video provides a brief overview of SPRC’s Effective Suicide Prevention Model, which can help you carry out suicide prevention efforts that are most likely to be effective. It will guide you through the three elements of the model—Strategic Planning, Keys to Success, and the Comprehensive Approach.
Strategic Planning Approach to Suicide Prevention
Suicide prevention activities, programs, and other efforts are most effective when they are guided by a strategic planning process. The strategic approach can be applied to any aspect of your work—whether you are starting a new program or assessing your progress midway through a project.
Professional Resources
2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action (PDF | 5.1 MB)
The National Strategy is a call to action that is intended to guide suicide prevention actions in the United States over the next decade. It outlines four strategic directions with 13 goals and 60 objectives that are meant to work together in a synergistic way to prevent suicide in the nation.
AAP Suicide Prevention Resource Library for Pediatric Health Care Providers
Pediatricians and pediatric heath care providers have a role to play in reducing the risk of suicide among adolescents and young adults.
SPRC’s Resources and Programs Repository
This searchable repository provides information on several types of suicide prevention programs, such as education/training, screening, treatment, and environmental change.
Sources of Strength
Sources of Strength is a strength-based comprehensive wellness program that focuses on suicide prevention but impacts other issues such as substance abuse and violence. The program is based on a relational connections model that uses teams of peer leaders mentored by adult advisors to change peer social norms about help seeking and encourages students to individually assess and develop strengths in their life.
The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What It Means (PDF | 4.9 MB)
The purpose of this document is to provide concrete, action-oriented information based on the latest science to help you improve your schools’ understanding of and ability to prevent and respond to the problem of bullying and suicide-related behavior.
Think, Act, Grow in Action Webinar: Sources of Strength (40 minutes)
In this episode of the HHS Office of Adolescent Health’s Successful Strategies for Improving Adolescent Health webinar series, Emily Novick discusses the application of the Sources of Strength program.
Youth and Family Resources
#Chatsafe: A Young Person’s Guide for Communicating Safely Online About Suicide (PDF | 6.7 MB)
The #chatsafe guidelines have been developed in partnership with young people to provide support to those who might be responding to suicide-related content posted by others or for those who might want to share their own feelings and experiences with suicidal thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.
Help a Friend in Need: A Facebook and Instagram Guide (PDF | 524 KB)
Facebook and Instagram are proud to work with The Jed Foundation and The Clinton Foundation, nonprofits that work to promote emotional well-being and to share potential warning signs that a friend might be in emotional distress and need your help.
Seize the Awkward
Nobody likes an awkward silence. But when it comes to mental health, awkward silences don’t have to be a bad thing. This campaign encourages teens and young adults to embrace the awkwardness and use this moment as an opportunity to reach out to a friend. The campaign focuses on that moment to break through the awkward silence to start a conversation about how they’re feeling.
What to Do if You’re Concerned About Your Teen’s Mental Health: A Conversation Guide (PDF | 617 KB)
This guide is meant to help parents and families who are concerned about their teen’s mental health and emotional well-being have important conversations with their child. Although parents often pick up on concerning signs that their teen is struggling, not everyone feels well-equipped to approach their child to have a conversation about how they are feeling.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12–18) who is experiencing a mental health or addiction challenge or is in crisis.
Additional Resources
Framework for Successful Messaging
This online resource provides guidance and tools that can be used by anyone who develops and disseminates suicide-related content.
National Recommendations for Depicting Suicide
These recommendations were informed by both representatives from the entertainment industry and the suicide prevention field and aim to help members of the entertainment industry—content creators, scriptwriters, producers—tell more balanced and authentic stories involving suicide and suicide prevention.