You Do Not Have to Face This Alone — Crisis Support Is Here Right Now

How do I reach help right now?

• Call or text 988 — the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 1Ref 1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2022).988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.988 as the primary crisis resource — free, confidential, 24/7 availability for suicidal ideation and mental health crisis. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day. Since its 2022 launch, 988 has answered over 13 million calls, texts, and chats from people in need of support. A trained crisis counselor will stay with you on the line.
• Chat online at 988lifeline.org if speaking feels too hard. Videophone access is also available for Deaf and Hard of Hearing callers.
• Text HOME to 741741 — the Crisis Text Line 2Ref 2Crisis Text Line (2013).Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.Text HOME to 741741 as a free, confidential, around-the-clock text-based crisis support option, also free and confidential around the clock. A trained volunteer counselor responds in text and helps move you from a crisis moment toward a calmer place.
• Call 911 if you have already hurt yourself or are in immediate physical danger.

The counselors at 988 have heard these feelings many times. There is no wrong way to call, and no minimum level of crisis required.

What are the feelings you might be having?

Thoughts of not wanting to be alive often arise from pain that has become too much to hold alone — not from a fixed truth about the future. These thoughts are most commonly connected to:

• Depression, anxiety, or another mood condition — persistent hopelessness, exhaustion, feeling like a burden to others, or an inability to imagine things improving 3Ref 3O'Connor E, Henninger M, Perdue LA, et al. (2023).Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.Depression and suicide risk as common and treatable conditions; routine screening recommendation in adults
• A sudden and overwhelming life event — a relationship ending, job loss, financial or legal crisis, abuse, or trauma
• Substance use, which significantly increases impulsivity and the intensity of these feelings in the moment
• Isolation, which makes all of the above worse

In the United States, over 5.5% of adults reported serious suicidal thoughts in 2024 — rates highest among young adults aged 18–25 4Ref 4National Institute of Mental Health (2025).Suicide.Suicide as the eleventh leading cause of death in the US (49,300+ deaths in 2023); rates highest among young adults aged 18-25 (12.6% with serious suicidal thoughts); depression, hopelessness, and prior attempt as major risk factors. You are not alone in feeling this way. Sometimes there is no single identifiable reason, and that is valid too. A crisis counselor does not need an explanation to help.

What should I do while I decide whether to call?

If possible, move away from anything you might use to hurt yourself. Physical distance — even going to another room or another floor — creates time and space between the feeling and an action. Call someone you trust, even if you do not tell them everything.

If you are alone, going somewhere with other people around — a pharmacy, a coffee shop, anywhere — can help interrupt the moment. The intensity of suicidal thoughts often peaks and then eases, even without resolving the underlying pain. Surviving the peak is enough for now.

You do not have to feel better or believe things can get better in order to reach out. Reaching out is the step, not the recovery.

What about getting longer-term support?

A crisis call is a first step, not the whole journey. Follow-up with a therapist, psychiatrist, or primary care clinician helps identify what is driving these feelings and what will actually help over time. The USPSTF recommends routine screening for depression and suicide risk in adults precisely because these conditions are common and respond well to treatment when identified 3Ref 3O'Connor E, Henninger M, Perdue LA, et al. (2023).Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.Depression and suicide risk as common and treatable conditions; routine screening recommendation in adults.

Effective therapies exist for suicidal ideation and the conditions that cause it — including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and medication when appropriate. Recovery is not a guarantee in any given moment, but it is a realistic outcome for most people who get appropriate care.

If access to ongoing care is a barrier — cost, insurance, wait times — a 988 counselor 1Ref 1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2022).988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.988 as the primary crisis resource — free, confidential, 24/7 availability for suicidal ideation and mental health crisis can help identify next steps, including low-cost and community mental health resources.