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What Is A Crisis?
A mental health crisis is when your child is at risk of harming themselves or others, or if their emotions and behavior seem extreme and out of control.
Warning signs of mental health crisis may include:
Expressing suicidal thoughts, either through explicit statements such as “I want to die” or more vague statements such as “I don’t want to be here anymore”
Making threats to harm others or themselves
Engaging in self-injurious behavior, such as cutting or burning
Expressing severe agitation and aggression, including physical aggression, destruction of property, hostility, etc.
Experiencing hallucinations or delusions
Isolating themselves from friends and family
Crisis Lines
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—Call or Text 988
If you’re in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, there are options available to help you cope—dial 988 from anywhere in the US to get connected. Press 1 for Veterans, 2 for Spanish and 3 for the LGBTQ+ community.
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline—Call 1-800-656-4673
Anyone affected by sexual assault, whether it happened to you or someone you care about, can find support here. Get connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Or visit online.rainn.org to receive support via confidential online chat.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline—Call 1-800-662-4357
A free, confidential, 24/7, treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Available in English and Spanish.
Teen Line—Call 1-800-852-8336 or Text “TEEN” to 839-863
When you call or text Teen Line, another teen will be there to support you. No issue is too big or too small. We won’t judge you or tell you what to do. We will listen and work with you to find a way to improve your situation.
The Trevor Project—Call 1-866-488-7386 or Text “START” to 678-678
LGBTQ+ young people age 13-24 can reach out 24/7/365 to a crisis counselor who is understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and won't judge you. If you are thinking about harming yourself — get immediate support by text, phone, or online chat.
Warmlines
California Peer-Run Warmline—Call or Text 1-800-845-6264
The California Peer-Run Warm Line (also known as CalHOPE) provides mental and emotional support. Trained counselors will hold space, listen and support you. Get help to identify the path forward.
LGBTQ+ National Youth Talkline—Call 1-800-246-7743
Provides confidential LGBTQIA+ peer-support, information and resources for those age 25 and younger. Monday - Friday 1pm to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 2pm, Pacific time.
National Alliance on Mental Illness—Call 1-800-950-6264 or Text “Helpline” to 62640
Offers peer-support, answers questions and provides practical resources and next steps. Designed for people living with a mental health condition, their loved ones and caregivers.
At Home Support
At Home Support
How To Take Action
Once you suspect that your child is in crisis, you will have some decisions to make. How you proceed depends on whether they are in immediate danger and the resources available in your community.
Immediate Danger
If you feel that your child’s life or someone else’s life is in danger, this is an emergency — you must take immediate action to keep everyone safe. Call 911 (or a local crisis line) or go to your nearest emergency room. Under no circumstances should you leave them alone.
Tips For Calling 911
Let 911 operators know that your child is experiencing a mental health crisis. Many communities have responders trained to support youth experiencing a mental health crisis, so it’s important that they have this information.
Specifically ask if there is a children’s crisis team. These specialists are trained to intervene in these situations.
Provide as much detail as possible about the situation.
No Immediate Danger
If you are confident that your child is not at immediate risk, and that you can manage the situation, consider the following steps. Keep in mind that even if it’s not a physical “emergency,” it is still an urgent situation that should be addressed as quickly as possible.
Create a safe space for them to talk about their feelings and actively listen. It’s ok to ask questions, but most importantly, reassure them that you are here to support and help them.
If your child is already receiving mental health treatment, get in touch with their psychiatrist or therapist. They can provide guidance on what to do next, incorporating their knowledge of your child and the current situation.
If your child is not currently receiving treatment, they will need a mental health assessment. Connecting with mental health services for children can be a challenge, but primary care physicians are often able to provide screenings and referrals.
Connect with a hotline or text line that provides crisis intervention services and resources, such as Crisis Text Line or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Proactively create a crisis plan to determine your plan of action if your child’s mental health ever escalates to an emergency. Part of creating that crisis plan is determining how to keep other children in your household safe during this type of emergency.
If you think this child’s situation may impact their school day, you may also contact the school administrative and counseling team to inform them of what you learned and to whom it was reported.
Talk to your own child about your decision-making process and why youhave decided to reach out for help. Your child will learn so much about theimportance of reaching out in times of need.
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