If you’re in crisis right now
You can also reach Samaritans free on 116 123, 24/7, completely anonymous; or text SHOUT to 85258 if you can’t face talking.
Your UK options at a glance
| Service | Best for | How |
|---|---|---|
| 999 / A&E | Active risk to life right now | Phone or walk in. |
| NHS 111 option 2 | Urgent crisis, not immediately life-threatening | Phone — 24/7 local crisis team. |
| Local crisis line | Same as 111 option 2 — direct number | Search ‘NHS [your area] crisis line’. |
| Samaritans | Anyone, any time, including bereavement | Call 116 123. Free, anonymous. |
| Shout | If you can’t speak (text-only) | Text SHOUT to 85258. |
| PAPYRUS HOPELINE247 | Suicide-specific, under-35 | Call 0800 068 4141 / text 88247. |
| GP | Less urgent — same-day or next-day | Phone surgery, ask for ‘mental-health emergency’. |
| Voluntary crisis café/house | Need a calmer place than A&E | Local — search ‘safe haven [your area]’. |
When A&E is the right place
Go to A&E (or call 999) if any of the following apply:
- You have taken an overdose or harmful substance.
- You have seriously hurt yourself and need medical care.
- You feel you are about to harm yourself or end your life and you cannot keep yourself safe.
- You are at risk of harming another person.
- You are experiencing severe psychosis, mania or paranoia and feel unsafe.
- You are having a severe panic or dissociative episode that isn’t resolving.
What happens at A&E
- Booking-in and triage. Same as a physical attendance. Tell triage exactly why you are there — ‘I am here for a mental-health crisis’ is enough.
- Medical assessment if there is a physical component (overdose, self-harm, intoxication). Bloods, observations, treatment of any wounds.
- Referral to liaison psychiatry. A specialist mental-health team based in the hospital, separate from A&E doctors. They lead the mental-health side.
- Liaison assessment. A semi-private conversation — history, current risk, social situation, support network, what has helped before. Usually 30–60 minutes.
- Plan. Most plans involve discharge home with arranged follow-up — community mental-health team referral, crisis home-treatment team, voluntary admission, or signposting to a specific service. Detention under the Mental Health Act is rare and requires two doctors and an AMHP.
- Discharge with a written safety plan. A list of what to do if you start feeling unsafe again, who to contact, and when your follow-up is scheduled.
NHS 111 option 2 — local crisis line
As of 2024, NHS England requires every area to have a 24/7 mental-health crisis line accessible by phoning 111 and pressing 2. They are usually run by your local NHS mental-health trust and staffed by mental-health nurses.
What they can do
- Listen, assess your safety, help you stay safe through the night.
- Send a crisis team to your home (a ‘home treatment team’).
- Arrange a same-day mental-health assessment.
- Refer you to a crisis house, crisis café or safe haven.
- Liaise with A&E if it’s clear you need to go in.
For some areas you can dial the local crisis line directly — search ‘NHS [your area] crisis line’ on Google.
Crisis alternatives to A&E
A&E is not always the most therapeutic environment for a mental-health crisis — it is loud, bright, busy and may have long waits. The NHS Long Term Plan has invested in alternatives:
- Crisis cafés and safe havens. Walk-in or referral. Quiet, low-stimulation spaces with mental-health support workers. Open evenings and weekends in many areas.
- Crisis houses. Short-stay residential support (typically 1–7 nights), an alternative to admission. Voluntary, home-like environment. Referral usually via 111 option 2.
- Home Treatment Teams. Mental-health professionals who visit you at home daily for the duration of a crisis. Avoids hospital admission entirely for many people.
- Sanctuary services. Mind and other charities run evening drop-in sanctuaries in many UK cities — search ‘Mind sanctuary [your area]’.
Always ask 111 option 2 or the liaison team specifically ‘is there a crisis café or sanctuary I can go to instead of A&E’ — many people don’t know they exist locally.
If you’re under 18
Crisis support for under-18s in the UK is provided by CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services). Routes:
- 999 / A&E — same as adults if there is acute risk. You will be seen by paediatric A&E and the CAMHS crisis team.
- NHS 111 option 2 — most areas now have a CAMHS-specific crisis line accessible this way.
- PAPYRUS HOPELINE247 — free, 24/7, specifically for under-35s with thoughts of suicide. Call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.
- YoungMinds Crisis Messenger — text YM to 85258.
- Childline (under-19) — call 0800 1111 or chat at childline.org.uk.
See our companion guide: Going to A&E with children.
If you’re supporting someone else
- If they are in immediate danger, call 999. You don’t need their consent to call when there is risk to life.
- Stay with them if it’s safe to do so. Just being present matters.
- Listen without trying to fix. Don’t panic-solve. ‘I’m here. Tell me what’s going on.’
- Reduce immediate access to means of harm — calmly remove medication, sharps, alcohol from reach if you can.
- Call 111 option 2 together if they’re willing. They can talk to the call-handler with you.
- Look after yourself. Supporting someone in crisis is exhausting. Samaritans (116 123) supports anyone, including the person doing the supporting.
FAQs about a&e for mental-health emergencies
Will I be sectioned if I go to A&E in a mental-health crisis?
Almost certainly not. The vast majority of mental-health A&E attendances end in voluntary support, signposting and outpatient follow-up — not detention under the Mental Health Act. Detention is rare, only used when a person is at serious risk to themselves or others and cannot consent to voluntary care, and requires assessment by two doctors and an Approved Mental Health Professional.
How long will I wait at A&E for a mental-health assessment?
After medical triage you will be referred to the hospital’s liaison psychiatry team. Wait times for liaison psychiatry vary widely (often 2–6 hours, sometimes more); the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends one hour but many hospitals do not meet this. Tell the triage nurse if you feel unsafe waiting.
Can I just see a GP instead?
For an urgent but non-immediate crisis, yes — same-day or next-day GP appointments are an excellent route. For something that genuinely cannot wait until tomorrow, A&E or NHS 111 option 2 is faster.
Will I be judged or dismissed?
You should not be. NHS England’s parity-of-esteem standards require mental-health crises to be treated with the same urgency as physical ones. If you feel you’ve been dismissed, ask to speak to the liaison psychiatry team directly, ask for the duty senior nurse, or contact PALS afterwards.
What is liaison psychiatry?
A specialist mental-health team based inside the hospital, separate from A&E doctors. They assess, support, prescribe if needed, and arrange follow-up — anything from a community mental-health team referral to a crisis house, home treatment team or a voluntary admission.
If I’m worried about someone else, what should I do?
If they are in immediate danger, call 999. If they are open to talking, sit with them and call NHS 111 (option 2) together. If they are refusing help and you believe they are at risk, you can still call 999 or your local mental-health crisis line for advice — you don’t need their consent to seek guidance for yourself.
Sources & further reading
Editorial review
Written and reviewed by the A&E Wait Time editorial team. First published . Last reviewed . Re-reviewed at minimum every 90 days.
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