Urgent Help and Support

If you or someone you know needs urgent help, you can contacting any of the services listed immediately below. You can also find details for some specialist agencies who may be able to help you with a specific issue.

For Immediate or Urgent Help

  • Emergency Services: if you need immediate assistance, and especially if someone is hurt or is in danger, please call the emergency services immediately. The emergency services can be contacted at any time by dialing 999 or 112 in Republic of Ireland, or 112 in Europe.
     
  • GP: find a local doctor (GP) or health centre by visiting the HSE.ie online service finder. If it's late in the evening, night-time or the weekend, you can contact a GP out-of-hours service. The HSE has listed urgent professional supports here.
     
  • Samaritans: Samaritans provides confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide. They offer their service by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face in most of their branches. 
  • Pieta House: Pieta House is a focused, counselling service which is readily accessible to those who need it. Together with you, they help you identify reasons to live.
    • Telephone: 1800 247 247
    • Text Help to 51444
       
  • Spunout.ie: Spunout.ie's text message support service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They provide in-the-moment anonymous support and problem-solving when you need it most. Text SPUNOUT to 086 1800 280 to begin.
     
  • Crisis Text Line: this is a free 24/7 text service, providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for people going through a mental health or emotional crisis - big or small. Text 50808 to start.  

Other organisations that offer general and specialised ongoing support include:

  • Aware: Aware is a national voluntary organisation providing support through depression. Services include support groups nationwide, a LoCall Helpline open 365 days a year, and email support services. All services are available to individuals who experience depression and to concerned family members and friends. 
    • Helpline: 1800 80 48 48.
    • E-mail Support: supportmail@aware.ie
        
  • Bodywhys: Bodywhys is the national organisation dedicated to offering support, information and understanding for people affected by eating disorders including family and carers. The helpline offers a non-judgemental and confidential support and information service. Bodywhys also offers support groups, an online support group and email support.
  • Childline: Childline is a 24-hour service for children and young people up to 18 years of age. Childline is open 365 days a year. It offers support to every young person living in Ireland through the Childline telephone listening service.
    • Helpline: 1800 666 666 Text: 50101
       
  • GROW: GROW is a mental health organisation which helps people who have suffered, or are suffering, from mental health problems. Members are helped to recover from all forms of breakdown, or indeed, to prevent such breakdowns from happening. GROW’s principal strength is the support that members give each other from their own experience in matters to do with mental health.
  • Shine: Shine is a national organisation dedicated to upholding the rights and addressing the needs of all those affected by enduring mental illness including, but not limited to, schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder and bi-polar disorder.
  • Teenline Ireland: Teenline Ireland is a national helpline for teenagers feeling fed-up, alone, distressed, worried or who just want to talk. Teenline provides a listening and support service and provides you with information about other support services in your local area.
    • Helpline: 1800 833 634
       
  • BeLonG To: BeLonG To Youth Services is the national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland.
  • Pavee Point: Pavee Point’s mission is to contribute to improvement in the quality of life, living circumstances, status and participation of Travellers & Roma through working innovatively for social justice, greater solidarity, development, equality and human rights.
  • Cairde: Cairde is a community development organisation working to tackle health inequalities among ethnic minority communities by improving ethnic minority access to health services, and ethnic minority participation in health planning and delivery.
  • Spirasi: Spirasi (Spiritan Asylum Services Initiative) is the national centre for the rehabilitation of victims of torture in Ireland.
  • Irish Advocacy Network: The Irish Advocacy Network Ltd is an independent, mental health organisation led by people with personal experience of mental health difficulties. Our services promote recovery by offering advocacy, information and support to clients
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