What would help right now?
Wherever you live, you are welcome here. The information and practical resources are free to read. Choose a starting point below, or go to support in your country. Irish services are labelled separately.
You do not need a diagnosis or the perfect words to begin. Choose the route that feels useful today; there is no list you have to complete.
Immediate danger or unable to stay safe? In Ireland call 112 or 999; elsewhere use your local emergency number. Do not wait for a website reply or routine booking. HSE urgent-help options.
- I have asked for help and am waiting
- I have very little energy today
- Panic is rising: a short plan · I am awake and worried
- A frightening reminder feels overwhelming
- Money worries and practical support · Free and low-cost counselling
- I feel unsafe, controlled or harmed
- Caring for someone feels too much · I want to help someone with anxiety
- I feel alone · I am grieving
- I want help preparing to talk to someone
- I would like more friends or company · I would like to start dating
- I have ADHD, or think I might · I am autistic, or think I might be
- I want a small, practical step for confidence or calm
For more information, start with help with anxiety or help with depression. These pages offer educational support, not a personal assessment.
Support through health challenges
When a physical health condition or treatment is taking an emotional toll, a few practical words can help you ask for support. These free guides have optional prompts, full reading versions and two-page PDFs to print or share.
- When endometriosis leaves you worn down – A little room for your needs, your words and your next step.
- Getting through the wait during fertility treatment – Small ways to support yourself while the answer is still unknown.
- Asking for support when pain is invisible – Practical words for needs that other people may not see.
Choose what fits today. No registration is needed. Share a blank copy or the page link; keep personal notes private.
You are here because something is hard right now. This page helps you find the right next step — whether that is urgent help, understanding a symptom, talking to others, or thinking about whether therapy might help. It is educational and practical; it is not a diagnosis, crisis service, or substitute for speaking with a qualified professional.
When online support might fit
If safety can wait and you have privacy for a conversation, online therapy may be one practical route. If safety cannot wait, use urgent local support first.
Online and appointment routes
More urgent or complex questions
Need a place to talk carefully with others? The Mental Health Community is a moderated peer-support space where visitors can ask general questions, share experiences, and reply supportively. It is not a crisis service or therapy, and comments are reviewed before appearing publicly.
If you need urgent help now
If you may be at immediate risk, feel unable to keep yourself safe, or are worried someone else is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services now or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not wait for a website reply or post on the discussion board.
Crisis and listening support by country
- Ireland: call 112 or 999, or go to an emergency department. For listening or crisis support: Samaritans 116 123 (free, 24 hours), Text About It (text HELLO to 50808), or Pieta 1800 247 247. Current routes are on the HSE urgent mental health pages. For service information, the HSE Your Mental Health information line is 1800 111 888; it is not a counselling or emergency service. For Text About It network alternatives, check the current text and WhatsApp options.
- United Kingdom: Samaritans offers free listening support on 116 123. For urgent clinical help, use the appropriate local NHS route; NHS urgent-support information explains options in England. Call 999 for immediate danger.
- United States: call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 911 for immediate danger.
- Canada: call or text 9-8-8 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline. Call 911 for immediate danger.
- Australia: call 13 11 14 for Lifeline crisis support. Call 000 for immediate danger.
- Other countries: Find A Helpline lets you look for emotional-support and crisis helplines by country. Check a service’s location, opening hours, language, contact options and privacy information. In an emergency, use your local emergency number or emergency department.
These are routes to real-time support, not a worldwide emergency number or a guarantee that every service is available to every reader. International service links checked 20 October 2026. The linked services provide current details.
For continuing professional support
A local primary care clinician, public mental health service or qualified mental health professional can help you explore assessment and care. Availability and costs differ between countries. The questions about finding affordable, accessible care can help you prepare a conversation. Helplines and conversations with friends can offer support, but do not replace ongoing treatment when it is needed.
Practical panic attack plan
If you are dealing with panic symptoms, the Panic Attack Plan gives a short practical route for the moment itself, aftercare, and when to seek urgent or professional support.
Start with what fits now
If you are not sure where to begin, choose the page that sounds closest to your situation. Each pathway links to information, moderated discussion, and professional help options.
- I Need Help With Anxiety
A calm first step for understanding anxiety, choosing support, and deciding whether to use information, discussion, or professional help. - I Feel Depressed and Need Help
A practical route for people who feel low, stuck, numb, or hopeless and want to decide what kind of support to seek. - I Am Burned Out or Under Chronic Stress
A practical route for exhaustion, work stress, emotional overload, and uncertainty about whether support or therapy could help. - I Need Help After Trauma
A careful first step for people affected by trauma or PTSD symptoms who want information, support options, and safer next steps. - I Am Grieving and Need Support
A supportive pathway for people dealing with loss, grief, sadness, numbness, or uncertainty about whether they need extra help. - I Need Help With a Relationship Problem
A first step for people who feel stuck, anxious, hurt, conflicted, or unsure what to do in a relationship. - I Am Not Sure If Therapy Is Right for Me
A practical guide for people considering psychotherapy or counselling but unsure whether, when, or how to start.
Choose the kind of help that fits
I want to understand what I am experiencing
Start with clear information about symptoms, patterns, possible maintaining factors, and treatment options. The mental health topics section includes pages on anxiety, OCD, depression, trauma, grief, relationships, stress, and related concerns.
- Mental health topics
- Anxiety information
- Depression information
- Burnout and stress information
- OCD information
I want to ask a general question or hear from others
The discussion board is a moderated public space for general questions, reflections, and peer replies. Comments are reviewed before they appear. Please do not post private identifying information or urgent clinical requests.
I am wondering whether therapy or counselling could help
Consider professional help when symptoms are persistent, severe, risky, difficult to understand, or interfering with daily life, work, study, relationships, sleep, or physical health. A GP or primary care clinician can be a useful starting point, especially if there are medical questions, medication questions, or risk concerns.
I am preparing to ask for help
Use the optional preparation sheet or read the waiting-for-support guide. You can ask a service about communication or access needs before the appointment.
It can help to write down what has been happening, how long it has been going on, what makes it better or worse, any medication or substances involved, any previous treatment, and whether there are safety concerns. You do not need to have the perfect words before asking for support.
Reliable urgent-help sources
- HSE: get urgent help for a mental health crisis
- NHS: urgent mental health support
- 988 Lifeline: what to expect
Review date: 2 May 2026.
Help improve this page
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Please do not post private clinical details, identifying information, or urgent safety concerns on the public suggestion page.
Trust and safety note
Help pages are designed to orient readers toward safe next steps, not to diagnose, replace emergency support, or provide personal clinical advice. How this mental-health information is written and reviewed.