Suicidal Thoughts If you or anyone else is in immediate danger or in need of immediate crisis help, please call 911. If you or anyone else is experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings but are not in immediate danger, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for immediate help. Call 1-800-799-4889 if you are hearing or speech impaired and have TTY equipment. If you or anyone else is not in immediate danger or in need of immediate crisis help, but need rapid psychiatric assistance, please click on the link below to find your closest Psychiatric Crisis Center. Psychiatric Crisis Centers & Inpatient Hospitals Greater Philadelphia Region (YOUR CALL TO ANY/ALL OF THE ABOVE WILL BE ANSWERED 24/7) If you are in ANY type of crisis, emotional or otherwise, but are NOT suicidal or in immediate danger, you may call one of Contact’s highly trained listeners. Click here for a list of local numbers One of Contact Greater Philadelphia's major missions is to assist or seek assistance for all of our callers who are experiencing suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. Accredited by the American Association of Suicidology, Contact provides free help for suicidal callers all over America. Contact understands that most suicides are preventable. If you are a third-party to a person in distress, take any threat of suicide seriously and act accordingly. SUMMARY HELP FOR INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL CRISIS: If you are in immediate danger call 911 If you are feeling suicidal or have suicidal thoughts call 1-800-TALK (8255) If you are a suicidal veteran, please dial the number above and press 1 at the prompt to speak with an operator. All calls to the numbers above will be answered by specifically trained veteran-oriented volunteers. If you would prefer to visit a psychiatric emergency center in your area, click here to locate one If you are in emotional crisis but are NOT suicidal, you may call one of Contact’s listeners. Click here for a list of local numbers SIGNS INDICATING SUICIDE RISK: Most people who think about or attempt suicide are ambivalent about ending their life. What they want is for their intense psychological pain to go away. Many of those who think about suicide exhibit warning signs (See the list below). Recognizing and responding appropriately to these signs can prevent a suicide. Contact’s list of suicide warning signs is printed below. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is intended to be a substitute for clinical or other professional judgment.† A prior attempt at or gesture towards suicide. Talking or writing about suicide. Appearing depressed most of the time. Expressing feelings of hopelessness and helplessness to effect any change in one’s life. Expressing feelings of worthlessness and believing one is a burden on one’s family and friends. Despite a surface appearance of being connected to one’s family and friends, an internal belief, revealed either verbally or behaviorally, that one is isolated, alone, and not bonded to others one’s life. Giving away prized possessions. Getting one’s affairs in order. Dramatic mood swings. Suddenly seeming happier and calmer after weeks of feeling depressed and/or agitated. OTHER WARNING FACTORS† Firearms/Access to Lethal Means – magnifies the risk of suicide. If you know or suspect a person intends to attempt suicide, act to reduce his or access to lethal means. Triggering Events – stressful, humiliating, shameful events elevate suicide risk. Examples include health problems (e.g. cancer diagnosis), relationship problems (e.g. divorce), and financial problems (e.g. job loss). If you believe someone is in the process of committing suicide (for example, pointing a gun at his/her head, has a noose around his/her neck, is about to or has just swallowed a lethal dose of pills, is standing on a bridge ready to jump, is about to place him/herself in front of a train), then immediately call 911 and report your concerns. If you believe that someone is seriously considering suicide but has not yet taken any action to achieve that goal, then strongly encourage him/her to call the NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 1-800-799-4889 if you are hearing or speech impaired and have TTY equipment RESOURCES FOR SUICIDE SURVIVORS If you are a suicide survivor and you’re looking for information, self-help articles, or local support groups, check out the tabs on the left of this page. Here you will find a wealth of information pertaining to suicide and available local resources. Having a problem accessing our pages? Click here to speak with a Contact volunteer. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Contact Greater Philadelphia is currently looking for caring, supportive people like you to assist suicidal callers and callers in crisis. Full training will be provided, and you will never be left unsupported on your shifts. Click here to find out more or here to make a tax-deductible gift to Contact. †These signs extracted from the National Suicide Prevention Web Site @ National Suicide Prevention Resources and "Patient Suicice Assesment Publication" published by the Suicice Prevention Resource Center. Disclaimer: The information on and provided through the website of Contact Greater Philadelphia and other Internet information sources to which it refers is intended to provide general information and should not be used to replace professional counseling, therapy, and/or legal advice. Do not use the information found on www.contactgreaterphiladelphia.org as a substitute for professional evaluation and treatment and/or consultation with an attorney. The users of www.contactgreaterphiladelphia.org assume all risks of use and shall indemnify and hold Contact Greater Philadelphia and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers and agents harmless from and against any and all damages, liabilities, losses, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees arising out of or related to use of any information and/or services offered and/or presented on this website. Contact Greater Philadelphia strives to keep information on this website accurate and timely, but cannot guarantee the timeliness, accuracy, currency, or quality of information appearing, published, or archived on the website. 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