SYNTHETIC DEMONSTRATION — no real student or patient. Not a medical device.

Urgent & emergency

The Trevor Project: Crisis Support for LGBTQ Youth

The Trevor Project gives LGBTQ young people free, confidential, 24/7 crisis support by phone, text, and chat. You can also call or text 988 anytime.

How to reach support right now

If you are in crisis or just need someone to talk to, you have options available 24/7:

  • The Trevor Project — call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat at thetrevorproject.org. Counselors are trained to support LGBTQ young people.
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. It is free, confidential, and available all day, every day, connecting you to trained counselors at local crisis centers 1. 988 also offers specialized, affirming services for different communities 2.
  • Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741.

If you are in immediate danger or have already hurt yourself, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

What happens when you reach out

Contacting a crisis line is private and judgment-free. A trained counselor will listen, help you feel safer, and work with you on what comes next — at your pace. You do not need to be "in enough danger" to deserve help; counselors are there for any level of distress, from overwhelming sadness to active thoughts of suicide.

Talking openly about suicide does not make things worse. Crisis counselors are trained to ask directly and to support you through it — being asked and being heard can lower the pressure you feel 3.

Why specialized LGBTQ support matters

LGBTQ young people sometimes carry extra stress from rejection, bullying, or not feeling safe to be themselves. A counselor who understands those experiences can meet you where you are without you having to explain or defend who you are. The 988 Lifeline operates a national network of 200+ local crisis centers and offers specialized services so people can find care that fits them 12.

Whatever you are feeling right now, it is real, and it does not have to be permanent.

When a clinician helps

Crisis lines are there for the moment. For ongoing support, an affirming mental-health clinician can help over time. A clinician can:

  • Use validated screening tools like the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ), designed and tested for young people, to understand what you are going through and how to keep you safe 4.
  • Build a personal safety plan with you — a brief, evidence-informed best practice that lists your warning signs, coping steps, and people to reach out to, so you have a plan ready before a hard moment hits 5.
  • Offer evidence-based, affirming care and connect you with longer-term support, including help navigating family or school if that would help 6.

A crisis counselor can help you find an affirming clinician when you are ready. Reaching out now does not commit you to anything except being heard.

Common questions

Is The Trevor Project only for emergencies?

No. You can reach out for any level of distress — feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or unsure about who you are — not only when you are thinking about suicide. Counselors are there to listen whenever you need them.

Is it confidential?

Crisis lines like The Trevor Project and 988 are confidential and free [1]. Counselors focus on your safety. If you are in immediate danger, they may help connect you to emergency help, always with your safety as the goal.

Can I text instead of calling?

Yes. The Trevor Project offers text (START to 678-678) and chat, and 988 supports call, text, and chat [1]. Use whatever feels easiest for you.

If you are in crisis

  • —Thoughts of suicide or of hurting yourself
  • —Feeling there is no way out or that you are a burden
  • —Making a plan or having access to a way to hurt yourself
  • —Feeling unsafe at home or after being rejected or bullied

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For 24/7 support, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386, or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line).

This page is educational and does not replace emergency services or professional mental-health care.

References

  1. 1.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2024). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. SAMHSA (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). link ✓988 provides free, confidential, 24/7 crisis support through a national network of 200+ local crisis centers.
  2. 2.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2024). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Frequently Asked Questions. SAMHSA (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). link ✓988 offers specialized services for specific communities and explains how it operates and who it serves.
  3. 3.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2024). 5 Action Steps to Help Someone Having Thoughts of Suicide (Ask, Be There, Keep Them Safe, Help Them Connect, Follow Up). National Institute of Mental Health. link ✓Asking about and talking openly about suicide does not increase risk and can lower pressure.
  4. 4.Horowitz LM, Bridge JA, Teach SJ, Ballard E, Klima J, Rosenstein DL, Wharff EA, Ginnis K, Cannon E, Joshi P, Pao M (2012). Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ): A Brief Instrument for the Pediatric Emergency Department. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2012.1276 ✓The 4-item ASQ has high sensitivity for identifying suicide risk in youth aged 10-21.
  5. 5.Stanley B, Brown GK (2012). Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001 ✓The Safety Planning Intervention is a brief, collaborative, evidence-informed best practice.
  6. 6.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2024). Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) Toolkit. National Institute of Mental Health. link ✓NIMH provides the free, validated ASQ screening tool and brief suicide safety assessment materials for clinical settings.

6 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice — synthetic demonstration content.