I need help now

If you are in danger now

If there is immediate danger to you or to someone else, call 911. Say where you are and what is happening. You do not need to explain it well.

If you have thoughts of ending your life or hurting yourself, call 800 911 2000 (Línea de la Vida). It is free, confidential and answers at any hour, every day. On the other end is a person trained to listen without judging. You do not need to be sure it is "serious enough" to call.

If you are under 18, you can also tell an adult you trust: a relative, a teacher or your doctor. Asking for help matters for your safety.

Signs that it is urgent

• You have thoughts of not wanting to live, or that others would be better off without you.
• You have thought about how you would do it, or you have something to hand you could hurt yourself with.
• You have hurt yourself today or recently.
• Someone else is in danger or has told you they want to hurt themselves.
• You are not sure you can keep yourself safe tonight.
• A child or adolescent has told you any of the above.

If it is for someone else

Stay. If someone tells you they want to hurt themselves, the most important thing is not to leave them alone. You do not need to have the answer: you need to be there.

Ask directly. "Are you thinking about taking your life?" does not plant ideas or make things worse. The opposite: it lets you talk about what is already there. Listen without interrupting and without arguing with what they feel.

What not to say. "Don't be silly", "with everything you have going for you", "think of your family". Even when they come from love, they sound like reproach and close the conversation. Better: "thank you for telling me", "I am with you", "let's find help together".

Remove the means. If there is medication, objects or anything they could hurt themselves with, move it out of reach, without drama.

Do not promise secrecy. You can promise not to leave them alone and to handle it with respect. But their safety comes before their trust that you will not tell.

Call with them. Dial 800 911 2000 together, or 911 if there is immediate danger. If you can, go with them to the emergency department. Afterwards, look after yourself too: supporting someone through this is exhausting.

What We Are Psycho is and is not

We Are Psycho offers scheduled online therapy with psychologists. It is not an emergency or crisis service: nobody is available on the spot, and a scheduled session is not the answer when the danger is now.

The free information call and the first session are not crisis services either. They exist to get to know you and start a process, not to attend an emergency.

Once you are safe, therapy is where the next step is: understanding what brought you here and working so that it does not happen again. That moment comes, and then we can help.