Alternative services
If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help.
Emergency support
If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help. For the Republic of Ireland, call 112.
If you are in a crisis, you can call the Bristol Mental Health crisis line on 0300 555 0334 or Samaritans on 116 123. These lines are open 24 hours a day, every day.
If you wish to discuss suicidal feelings confidentially, Suicide Prevention are there to listen, available on 0800 689 5652 from 6 pm to midnight every day.
The Sanctuary is a place to come when you are in serious emotional distress. They offer face-to-face sessions in Bristol and a phone support service. Thursday to Monday, 5 pm to 11 pm.
Emotional distress
Samaritans provides emotional support to anyone in emotional distress or struggling to cope. They provide confidential support 24 hours a day by telephone and they have a drop-in centre in Bristol. You don’t need to be in crisis or suicidal to reach out. Please call: 116 123
Bristol Mindline telephone helpline is an out of hours confidential listening service open Wednesday to Sunday, 7pm – 11pm. You can contact them by dialling 0117 203 4419.
Shout is a free, confidential and 24/7 text messaging service for anyone in the UK who needs support. To start a conversation, text the word ‘Shout’ to 85258.
Togetherall is a safe online community for anyone feeling lonely, stressed, worried or just not themselves. You can join for free to get mental health support and start to feel better.
Switchboard is the national LGBTQIA+ support line. To discuss anything related to sexuality and gender identity, call 0800 0119 100, open 10:00-22:00 every day.
Nilaari provides mental health assistance to adults from Black, Asian, and Minoritized Communities. Give them a call on 0117 952 5742, and they will arrange an initial meeting with you.
The Sanctuary is a place to come if you are in serious emotional distress and are in need of face-to-face support.
If you are worried about a friend
If their life is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help. For the Republic of Ireland, call 112.
The Staying Alive app provides a pocket suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help you or a friend stay safe in crisis.
Suicide Prevention has a form that you can fill out for if you are concerned that someone you know is suicidal.
If the person you’re worried about is a student at the University of Bristol, you can complete the Request Wellbeing Support form in order to request support on their behalf.
Mind, a mental health charity, has some useful advice about how to support someone in getting support. Remember though, you cannot force anyone to get help.
If the person you’re worried about is seriously struggling with their mental health, please encourage them to reach out to their GP.
Domestic abuse
Next Link is a specialist support organisation in Bristol with help available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Women can call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night. The staff will offer confidential, non-judgemental information and support
Men can call Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 (Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm), or visit the webchat at Men’s Advice Line (Wednesday 10am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 4pm) for non-judgemental information and support
If you’re worried someone might see you have visited this page, the Women’s Aid website tells you how to cover your tracks online.
Sexual violence
The Bridge is an NHS Sexual Assault Referral Centre. It doesn’t matter when you were assaulted, where it happened or who did it, they will listen to your experience and help you to get the support you choose.
Eating Disorders
Beat is a leading UK eating disorder charity that runs a helpline 3PM– 8PM, Monday to Friday. They listen to callers, help them to understand the illness, and support them to take positive steps towards recovery.
Grief
Grief Encounter‘s helpline offers confidential, emotional support and guidance to anyone affected by grief. Call them on 0808 802 0111, 9am-9pm, Monday to Friday.