If you're feeling like you want to end your life or harm yourself, it's important to tell someone.
Help and support is available right now if you need it. You do not have to struggle with difficult feelings alone.
You may find it helpful to tell the person you speak to that you are neurodivergent. Explain what they can do to help you, e.g. use clear language, speak slowly and give you time to process the information, give opportunities for you to ask questions to clarify your understanding.
Click on the services below to find out how to contact them.
Service: Emergency services
Description: For severe and life-threatening emergencies, such as being suicidal, serious injury or immediate risk of harm/self-harm.
Contact: Call 999
Opening hours: 24 hours a day
Other factors to consider: If taken or directed to Accident and Emergency, it is a high stimulus environment and is likely to be busy with lots of people. Wait times vary - people are seen in order of need with many people waiting more than four hours before they are seen by a liaison psychiatrist or liaison nurse.
Service: Accident and Emergency
Description: For severe and life-threatening emergencies, such as being suicidal, serious injury or immediate risk of harm/self-harm.
Location: Find your nearest A&E department.
Opening hours: 24 hours a day
Other factors to consider: If taken or directed to Accident and Emergency, it is a high stimulus environment and is likely to be busy with lots of people. Wait times vary - people are seen in order of need with many people waiting more than four hours before they are seen by a liaison psychiatrist or liaison nurse.
Service: NHS 111
Description: For when you have urgent healthcare need, but it isn't life-threatening. For example, you may be having suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming yourself. This service has specially trained mental health practitioners but may not have specialist knowledge of autism or ADHD.
Contact: Call 111 and select option 2 or go to NHS 111 online.
What this service offers:
This service will direct you to the right service as close to your home as possible. They are likely to signpost you to your local mental health hubs.
If they assess you're in need of emergency care they will transfer you to the ambulance operation centre or direct you to your nearest local Accident and Emergency setting.
Other factors to consider: When answering your call, the operator will ask you a series of questions in a set order.
Service: Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT)
Description: For existing KMPT patients who need help in a mental health crisis.
Contact: If you are a KMPT patient experiencing an urgent mental health crisis is to contact the team caring for you during their working hours.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm
What does this service offer: Community Mental Health teams and Home Treatment teams
Service: Mental Health Matters - Safe Havens
Description: A walk-in, free mental health support for anyone aged 18 or over, in a comfortable, non-judgemental, and non-clinical environment.
Support is also available via telephone and video call.
People using the service are also supported by a 24/7 helpline when the service is closed.
Contact: Find details for the individual Safe Havens
Location: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Folkestone, Gillingham, Maidstone, Medway, Ramsgate, Thanet and Tunbridge Wells
Opening hours: 6 - 11pm, 7 days a week. In Thanet and Medway - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What does this service offer: Run by Mental Health Matters, the Safe Havens offer drop-in support to adults in crisis or heading towards a crisis. People can access one-to-one emotional support as well as help to create staying well and crisis plans. No referral or appointment is required.
What the service doesn't offer: Safe Havens are not suitable for people needing urgent medical attention (for example, after self-harm).
Service: Stay Alive app
Description: A comprehensive suicide prevention resource developed by Grassroots Suicide Prevention
Contact: Download to your mobile from the app store or Google play. A version is also available on a desktop.
What does this service offer:
Crisis Support: Quick access to national crisis support helplines
Safety Plan: A mini-safety plan that can be filled out to help stay safe during a crisis
LifeBox: A place to upload life-affirming photos, videos, and web-links
Wellness Plan: Tools to create a plan for self-care
Reasons for Living: A section to list personal reasons for staying alive
Suicide Myth-Busting: Information to dispel common myths about suicide
Support for Others: Guidance on how to help someone who may be considering suicide
Service: Release the Pressure
Opening hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What does this service offer: Free expert advice from trained counsellors is available for every mental health concern, including:
Service: The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
Description: A suicide prevention charity that offers a range of services to support individuals struggling with life.
Contact: Call 0800 58 58 58 or access Livechat and WhatsApp via the CALM website.
Opening hours: 5pm to midnight, 7 days a week.
What does this service offer: This service offers support to anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, those who have lost someone to suicide, or individuals worried about someone else.
Service: Rethink Sahayak Asian Mental Health Helpline
Description: Culturally sensitive listening and information service for the Asian community across Kent and Medway.
Callers can speak to the service in Asian languages (Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindu, and Urdu) or English.
The service is free and will not show up on your phone bill.
Contact: Call 0808 800 2073
Opening hours: Monday - Wednesday: 4pm - 7pm, Tuesday - Thursday: 12pm - 3pm
What does this service offer: The service is for anyone affected by mental health issues - whether they are service users, carers or friends and people affected by domestic abuse.
When you call the helpline, you can expect to be listened to, treated with dignity and respect, given emotional support and signposted to useful sources of information.
The service is totally confidential, you do not need to divulge your name or any personal data.
Service: Samaritans
Description: Support for any mental health concern including suicidal ideation, addiction, depression, work-related stress, loss, bereavement and loneliness.
Contact:
Call 116 123
Email: jo
Postal service: Write to 'Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS'
Location: Find your nearest Samaritans branch.
What does this service offer: Telephone helpline, online chat, in-person support at branches across Kent and Medway, email and postal support.
Service: Kooth
Description: Kooth offers free online counselling and mental health support for young people aged 10 to 25 years. Online counselling is delivered via live text chat with a qualified counsellor or trained practitioner. There are no waiting lists and you don't need to have seen a doctor first.
Contact: Sign up online.
Opening hours: From 12pm - 10pm on weekdays and 12pm - 8pm on weekends.
Other factors to consider: Kooth is designed to work best on a mobile device (phone, tablet etc) but will also work on desktop or laptop computers.
Some difficult and upsetting concerns that some people face are around suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Making a Safety Plan can help a person stay safer and equip carers and supporters to know how they can help too.
Some helpful resources for this may include: